Venice Biennale pavilion drops Lebanese artist, sparking backlash

Artistic duo Michael Dagostino and Khaled Sabsabi have been barred from presenting their work at the Australia pavilion at next year's Venice Biennale.

The decision, announced by Creative Australia on Thursday, follows criticism from local media and parliamentarians over a past video installation by Sabsabi.

Venice Biennale has remained impartial on the matter, with its press office telling The National: “As per the Biennale’s policy, national participations are autonomous in all their decisions and choices which we do not comment.”

The 2007 work, donated to Australia’s Museum of Contemporary Art, depicted former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Additionally, Lebanese-born artist Sabsabi’s decision to join a 2022 boycott of the Sydney Festival – protesting a reported sponsorship deal with the Israeli embassy – has also been cited as a point of contention.

In response, the duo issued a statement to The Guardian Australia describing the move as a form of censorship. “Art should not be censored as artists reflect the times they live in,” they said.

“We intended to present a transformational work in Venice, an experience that would unite all audiences in an open and safe shared space. This reflects and builds on the work we have done for decades and will do for many more.

“We believe in the vision of artists for an inclusive future that can bring us together to communicate and progress our shared humanity. We also believe that, despite this decision, the Australian art world will not dim and or be silent.

“The artistic team is still committed to presenting this work on a global platform and will seek community support to make this happen.”

Several leading Australian artists including those shortlisted to showcase their work in the pavilion – Hayley Millar Baker, James Nguyen and Tina Baum – also issued a joint public letter to the board of Creative Australia, criticising the move.

“We believe that revoking support for the current Australian artist and curator representatives for Venice Biennale 2026 is 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,” they wrote.

The Lock-Up, a renowned Australia artist in residence programme, also took to Instagram to lament the decision. “The Lock-Up is deeply saddened by the decision to withdraw Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino as the artist and curator team of the Australian pavilion at the Venice Biennale,” read the post.

“An artist, who by faith and by practice, investigates peace, connection, inclusivity and the elevation of the human spirit from human hubris. “This is not only a disappointing decision but comes at an as yet uncalculated cost to multiple communities across cultures as well as our national and international creative relations.

“The Lock-Up receives Creative Australia funding. We appreciate the complexities and interdependence of funding and competing priorities in government and global relations. We choose in this instance, however, to say we do not agree with this action under any circumstances and that this is not reflective of the freedom and rigour of creative research and expression in this region.”

Creative Australia said it was a unanimous decision to axe the duo and made to ensure its objectives were not undermined. “Creative Australia is an advocate for freedom of artistic expression and is not an adjudicator on the interpretation of art,” it said.

“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. Creative Australia will be reviewing the selection process for the Venice Biennale 2026.”

Born in Tripoli and now residing in Sydney, Sabsabi moved to Australia in 1978 following the outbreak of Lebanon's civil war. He began his creative career as a hip-hop performer before transitioning to sound and visual installation. His works have previously been displayed at the Sharjah Biennial, the Marrakesh Biennale and Shanghai Zendai's Museum of Modern Art.