Living and deceased artists who previously represented Australia at the Venice Biennale over the past five decades, along with their estates, have joined forces to pen an open letter to Creative Australia. Their aim is to call for the reinstatement of sacked artist Khaled Sabsabi and his curator, Michael Dagostino.
This letter of support includes signatures from highly esteemed figures in Australia’s art world like Imants Tillers, Mike Parr, Susan Norrie, Fiona Hall, Judy Watson, Patricia Piccinini, and Tracey Moffat. Notably, the estate of Howard Arkley, who represented Australia quarter of a century ago, has also endorsed the request.
The open letter raises concerns over the removal of Sabsabi and Dagostino as the artistic team for the 61st Venice Biennale, set for 2026. The signatories view the Venice Biennale as a critical and prestigious platform for Australian artists, with selection being a significant honor. Stripping the chosen team of this opportunity is seen as a blatant disregard for the role of artists in society – particularly from an institution meant to advocate for them.
Creative Australia, the arts investment and advisory body of the Australian government, is slated to address a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday. However, it is expected that Greens and independent senators will explicitly question Creative Australia’s chief executive Adrian Collette regarding allegations of political pressure leading to the contract cancellation.
The controversy began when a Coalition senator, Claire Chandler, questioned Sabsabi’s representation due to his previous association with controversial figures and subjects. Despite the Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke,’s claims of no involvement in the decision, questions persist about the timeline and parties involved.
Collette reportedly confirmed at an internal meeting that Sabsabi and Dagostino would not be reinstated, indicating he did not feel his position had become untenable. The controversy centers around one of Sabsabi’s works titled “You”, which features imagery of late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other controversial figures, spotlighting Australia’s complex stance on such organizations.
Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), which owns “You,” criticized Creative Australia’s reversal, arguing it tarnishes the country’s international reputation and undermines artistic freedom.
Questions are also slated to be raised about the government’s new cultural policy, specifically why no board has been established to represent Australia’s visual arts on Creative Australia’s board.
Lindy Lee, the sole visual arts representative on Creative Australia’s board, resigned immediately after the board’s decision, citing a deep conflict of conscience over the silencing of an artist’s voice.
The broader artistic community is hailing the necessity for artists’ voices to be heard, particularly during times of societal division and hurt.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/feb/23/artists-who-represented-australia-at-venice-biennale-call-for-khaled-sabsabi-to-be-reinstated
