Artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino will represent Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale after Creative Australia, the selection body for the country’s pavilion, reversed a controversial decision to drop the pair earlier this year.
The organization’s board rescinded Sabsabi and Dagostino’s Venice Biennale appointment in February after Sabsabi, who was born in Lebanon, faced scrutiny in parliament over some of his artworks made nearly two decades ago. Creative Australia cited the need to avoid a “prolonged and divisive debate” as the reason for dropping Sabsabi and Dagostino just a week after they were named. Among Sabsabi’s criticized works was a 2007 video and sonic installation, titled You, which featured a mosaic of images displaying Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a victory speech after Lebanon’s 34-day war with Israel in 2006. Another scrutinized piece, “Thank you very much” (2006), consisted of an 18-second video compilation of the September 11 attacks and George W. Bush.
The decision to reinstate Sabsabi and Dagostino comes after a third-party review by the governance advisory firm Blackhall and Pearl found “a series of missteps, assumptions, and missed opportunities” related to Creative Australia’s plan for managing potential fallout from the appointment decision.
“A well-developed communications and crisis management plan would have assisted Creative Australia to pre-position the selection and to respond to any questions from the Minister or potential philanthropic supporters of the 2026 Biennale,” the review reads.
In a press release on Wednesday, July 2, Creative Australia said that the inquiry’s findings prompted the agency to continue with the commission of Sabsabi and Dagostino as originally planned. “The Board is now of the view that proceeding with the Artistic Team, Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino represents the preferred outcome,” said Creative Australia Board Chair Wesley Enoch in the release.
An exhibition at Monash University featuring Sabsabi’s work that was previously postponed in March following the announcement of his biennale separation appears to have opened in late May, according to the institution’s website.
Sabsabi and Dagostino’s removal from the Biennale pavilion was met with opposition from Creative Australia staff, some of whom resigned from their posts in solidarity with the artist. Shortlisted biennale artists also opposed Sabsabi and Dagostino’s removal, stating in a missive that said it was “antithetical to the goodwill and hard-fought artistic independence, freedom of speech and moral courage that is at the core of arts in Australia, which plays a crucial role in our thriving and democratic nation.”
Over 4,400 artists from around the world — including several who previously represented Australia at the Venice Biennale, such as Tracey Moffatt and Fiona Hall — signed another letter in February calling for Sabsabi and Dagostino to be reinstated.
The artist and curator accepted their reinstatement offer and said in a statement posted on Instagram that the decision renewed their confidence in Creative Australia “and in the integrity of its selection process.”
“We would not have reached this point without the unwavering support of the Australian and international creative community,” Sabsabi and Dagostino said. “Their solidarity, belief, and encouragement sustained us throughout this difficult time, making it possible for us to continue our work and remain in a position to accept this recommission.”
“In the coming weeks, we will recommit ourselves fully to this project,” the pair continued. “Through the process of creating and sharing new work, we hope to begin a path of healing and renewal.”
Hyperallergic has contacted Sabsabi and Creative Australia for comment.