In a short statement released yesterday, Thursday 13 February, the board of Creative Australia announced that Lebanese Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi will no longer represent Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale.

The board, which includes chair Robert Morgan and prominent Australian arts leaders such as Wesley Enoch and Lindy Lee, voted unanimously to remove Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino (Director of the Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney) as Australia’s representatives.

“Creative Australia is an advocate for freedom of artistic expression and is not an adjudicator on the interpretation of art,” the board wrote in a statement.

“However, the board believes a prolonged and divisive debate about the 2026 selection outcome poses an unacceptable risk to public support for Australia’s artistic community and could undermine our goal of bringing Australians together through art and creativity.”

In response, The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) said it was “deeply alarmed by Creative Australia’s decision to withdraw support for the selected Venice Biennale team of artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino.”

“This is a devastating and terrifying moment for artistic freedom in Australia,” said NAVA Executive Director Penelope Benton.

“The decision to retract support from...