Lebanese-born artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino are again on the helm of Australia’s 2026 Venice Biennale pavilion, following a dramatic reversal by the group that makes the Australian Pavilion in Venice doable, Artistic Australia.
The choice, reported earlier today by the Artwork Newspaper, comes after an impartial evaluation and months of backlash over their abrupt elimination—a transfer that critics broadly condemned as a politically motivated act of censorship.
The difficulty began in February, simply days after Artistic Australia introduced Sabsabi’s choice. A column in The Australian labeled the pavilion a “inventive strategy to racism,” singling out You, Sabsabi’s 2007 video set up that features manipulated footage of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah addressing a crowd after the 2006 Lebanon–Israel struggle.
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In a single scene, rays of sunshine emanate from Nasrallah’s face—imagery that the Museum of Up to date Artwork Australia, which owns the work, described as “suggestive of a divine illumination” and meant to impress reflection on how media can deify or demonize figures relying on context
The article additionally accused Sabsabi and Dagostino of getting “favored boycotts of Israel,” referencing Sabsabi’s 2022 Sydney Competition withdrawal over its Israeli authorities sponsorship and insinuating that each males had been unsuitable to be “custodians of our nation’s popularity”
Days after the article ran, the board of Artistic Australia unanimously pulled the plug, citing the danger of a “extended and divisive debate” and claiming the transfer was essential to protect public belief within the arts. They made the announcement quietly—with out immediately mentioning You or the controversy.
The fallout was swift. Senior Artistic Australia staffers Mikala Tai and Tahmina Maskinyar resigned in protest. So did Simon Mordant, former worldwide ambassador for the Australian Pavilion and a significant cultural philanthropist, who known as the debacle “a really darkish day for Australia and the humanities.”
Artists and establishments rallied behind Sabsabi. The 5 shortlisted candidates for the pavilion issued an open letter demanding his reinstatement.
On the time, Palestinian artist Emily Jacir, a former Venice Golden Lion winner, wrote on Instagram “Disgrace on Artistic Australia,” whereas Iranian-Australian artist Hoda Afshar known as the choice “fascism.” Even West Area, a Melbourne gallery that has recieved funding from Artistic Australia, launched a rebuke, warning of “long-term destructive impression” on Australia’s cultural standing.
In the meantime, Sabsabi and Dagostino remained defiant. “Artwork shouldn’t be censored as artists replicate the instances they reside in,” they mentioned in a joint assertion in February. “We additionally imagine that, regardless of this choice, the Australian artwork world won’t dim or be silent”
Artistic Australia initially doubled down, even floating the concept of leaving the pavilion empty in 2026. However in Might, board chair Robert Morgan resigned. First Nations playwright Wesley Enoch was appointed appearing chair. On July 2, after an exterior evaluation, Sabsabi and Dagostino had been formally invited again—and accepted.
In a brand new assertion, the duo known as the reversal “a way of decision” after “important private and collective hardship,” and thanked the inventive group whose “unwavering assist” made it doable.
What they’ll current in Venice stays to be seen. What’s sure: the pavilion gained’t be empty—and the message it carries will likely be something however impartial.
