The acting chair of Creative Australia has issued an apology to Khaled Sabsabi and his curator Michael Dagostino for the distress caused by the rescinding of their Venice Biennale commission. Wesley Enoch, who recently stepped in for the retiring chair Robert Morgan, clarified during a Senate hearing that he would not be stepping down over the controversy and apologized on air for the misrepresentation of Sabsabi’s work as promoting terrorism.
According to Enoch, those claiming this misrepresented the artist’s peace-loving intentions and affirmed the apology to Sabsabi and Dagostino for their suffering during this ordeal. An independent external review conducted by Blackhall & Pearl did not pinpoint a single failure but identified a series of missteps leading to the inability of Creative Australia’s leadership to handle criticism effectively.
The report did not recommend the restoration of Sabsabi and Dagostino’s commission among its nine suggestions. Arts Minister Tony Burke stated he would support any decision Creative Australia makes following the review, while Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young commended the decision but called for a cleanout of Creative Australia’s leadership for the community to regain trust.
Liberal MP and shadow minister for the arts, Julian Leeser, criticized the backflip, questioning why the artist with a history of prompting an antisemitism crisis should represent Australia amid such tensions and receive taxpayer funding. Sabsabi and Dagostino have welcomed the decision, signaling a sense of resolution and optimism after the hardship.
Philanthropist Simon Mordant, who initially resigned as Australia’s International Ambassador for the 2026 Venice Biennale in response to the removal of Sabsabi and Dagostino, has reaccepted the role following their reinstatement. He views Creative Australia’s decision as a turning point for the arts community in Australia’s effort to combat all forms of racism.
The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) CEO Penelope Benton praised Creative Australia’s admission of error as a step towards rebuilding confidence in the national arts funding agency’s integrity and transparency.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/jul/03/creative-australia-apologises-to-khaled-sabsabi-for-hurt-and-pain-after-venice-biennale-reinstatement-ntwnfb
