Axed duo back in Biennale after ‘avoidable’ arts crisis
After a backflip, artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino have been reinstated as Australia’s representatives at an international exhibition and have received an apology from the national arts body.
An artistic duo who were axed and then reinstated as Australia’s picks for one of the world’s most prestigious exhibitions have received an apology.
The head of the nation’s arts body, Wesley Enoch, said artist Khaled Sabsabi’s artwork had been mischaracterised and he apologised to him and curator Michael Dagostino.
The apology from Creative Australia’s acting chair came after it was revealed on Wednesday that the pair will once again represent Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale, after being dropped in February.
“I want to apologise to them for the hurt and pain they’ve gone through in this process,” Enoch told ABC radio, while noting that he had already offered an in-person apology.
“Although we will be stronger as a sector because of it, I know it’s come at a personal cost – not just to them but also to a whole range of people in the arts sector.
“We, as Creative Australia, need to help the whole sector learn some of these lessons going forward.”
The national arts body initially revoked the pair’s invitation after a federal politician raised concerns over Sabsabi’s early works, one of which showed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and another that depicted the 9/11 attacks.
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Creative Australia had claimed Sabsabi and Dagostino’s selection would cause a prolonged and divisive debate and that it would pose an unacceptable risk to public support for the Australian artistic community, leading to the decision that would be later decried by more than 4000 people.
Enoch on Thursday noted Sabsabi’s work had been mischaracterised and said he was an “incredibly peace-loving artist”, as shown by the way he constructs his images.
“This work is not about terrorism,” he said.
“It is not about the glorification of terrorism.
“Those who choose to mischaracterise the work aren’t being honest to the intention of the work or the practice that this artist has.”
The arts funding and advisory body backpedalled on its earlier decision to axe the pair after an independent review found various missteps, assumptions and missed opportunities in the decision-making process.
A series of recommendations for better risk-identification procedures and crisis management were included, but the review noted the agency faced a considerable task to rebuild trust.
“If there is a dominant theme in the findings of this report, it is that much pain, anger, damage and anxiety could have been avoided if Creative Australia had been appropriately prepared for what, inevitably, was going to be a controversial decision,” the report said.
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In a statement on Wednesday, artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino said they accepted the invitation to once again represent the nation at the 2026 Venice Biennale after being uninvited in February.
“This decision has renewed our confidence in Creative Australia and in the integrity of its selection process,” they said.
“It offers a sense of resolution and allows us to move forward with optimism and hope after a period of significant personal and collective hardship.”
More than 4000 people, including some of Australia’s most respected artists, called for the pair to be reinstated in February.
Arts Minister Tony Burke said he still had confidence in the Creative Australia board and politicians should not be in charge of its decisions.
“These are arms-length decisions,” he told ABC TV.
“When they made the decision to appoint, I said I supported it, when they made the decision to terminate, I said I’d support that.”
But Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the agency’s leadership needed a “clean out”.
“This is the right end to a very sorry saga but it’s a terrible day for the board and CEO of Creative Australia who have disgraced themselves throughout this ordeal,” she said.
Coalition arts spokesman Julian Leeser criticised the duo’s reinstatement.
“This has been a deeply flawed process from the beginning and has now led to a ridiculous outcome,” he said.
“It diminishes the power of Australian art as a tool of soft diplomacy.”
