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‘Hung out to dry’: Australia’s Venice artists show unprecedented support for sacked colleague

By Linda Morris

Some of the biggest names in Australian contemporary art have made an extraordinary public intervention in support of Khaled Sabsabi, the Lebanese-born Australian artist controversially stripped of the right to represent the nation at the Venice Biennale.

Twenty-three distinguished visual artists who have exhibited under the Australian flag at Venice – the so-called Olympics of the art world – have come together to protest the “unacceptable” disregard and treatment of Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino.

Artists (from top left) Shaun Gladwell, Patricia Piccinini, Marco Fusinato, (bottom left) Fiona Hall, Mike Parr and Angelica Mesiti are among the artists supporting Khaled Sabsabi.

Artists (from top left) Shaun Gladwell, Patricia Piccinini, Marco Fusinato, (bottom left) Fiona Hall, Mike Parr and Angelica Mesiti are among the artists supporting Khaled Sabsabi.

Photographer Tracey Moffatt, multimedia artists Shaun Gladwell, Angelica Mesiti and Patricia Piccinini, performance artist Marco Fusinato, Gold Lion winner Archie Moore, and artist Fiona Hall are among those who have signed an open letter calling for Creative Australia to reinstate the sacked artistic team.

Their protest ratchets up the pressure on Creative Australia ahead of Senate estimates on Tuesday where its chief executive Adrian Collette is expected to be grilled about the board’s sudden change of heart on February 13.

Creative Australia rescinded its invitation to the artistic team last week after questions were raised in parliament by shadow arts minister Claire Chandler, on the merits of their selection for the Biennale.

Those questions were based on earlier works by Sabsabi showing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and a video depicting images of 9/11 along with former US president George W. Bush, titled Thank you very much.

Artist Khaled Sabsabi was controversially stripped of the right to represent the nation at the Venice Biennale.

Artist Khaled Sabsabi was controversially stripped of the right to represent the nation at the Venice Biennale.Credit: James Brickwood

An artist’s life is a solitary profession, but the treatment of Sabsabi and Dagostino has galvanised artists in a way not seen since the federal Coalition set up the Catalyst fund, giving the arts ministry direct control over public funding of arts projects.

“I’ve never seen the level of unity and anger as this,” says Callum Morton, who represented Australia at Venice in 2007. “This is about calling out the disrespect afforded to a fellow artist who has been humiliated and hung out to dry.”

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The open letter was published in The Sun Herald and The Sunday Age, the two advertisements funded by a mix of artists, intellectuals and benefactors, according to Morton.

Signatories go back to Australia’s entry in 1978. Missing from the rollcall appears to be abstract, figurative and surrealist painter Peter Booth (1982) and photographer Bill Henson, who represented Australia at the 46th Venice Biennale.

“The Venice Biennale is a rare and critical platform for Australian artists,” the statement read.

“Being selected is an extraordinary honour, and to strip the chosen artistic team of this opportunity is unacceptable.

“Indeed, it signals a fundamental disregard for the role of artists in our society – especially by the very institution meant to defend them.”

The families of the late Howard Arkley (1999) and John Davis (1978) also gave their support.

Shaun Gladwell (Venice 2009) said he signed out of personal concern for the artist and curator.

“It’s important to acknowledge how important Venice is to the individuals,” he said. “It’s a career highlight as a curator and a huge moment in the career of the artist, which is not to enter the politics and discourse they are embroiled. So that’s an enormous thing to be offered to you, and galling to be rescinded and retracted.”

But the withdrawn invitation was also a “critical disaster” for management of Australia’s entry in 2026, Gladwell warned.

Two years was not long to realise a project which artists “consider the biggest highlight of their career on the biggest stage in the world”.

“For a project of that enormity, as soon as you are offered you have to go to work to realise it,” he said. “There are always things that are going to go wrong, that haemorrhage time.

“Even if we get the artist reinstated it will still be disastrous, with so much time lost in limbo. It’s disaster on disaster to thwart and ruin the chance of this and every other possible project.”

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson Young has called for a full and frank inquiry into how the decision was made, who was involved and how much it has cost the Australian taxpayer.

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Media and Entertainment Arts Alliance chief executive, Erin Madeley issued a statement last week calling for an end to political interference in artistic practice.

“Art sheds critical light on our society and must challenge preconceptions, even if that makes some people uncomfortable. It is unrealistic to expect artists to leave their beliefs at the door. Any interference which seeks to prevent this must be unreservedly condemned.”

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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/hung-out-to-dry-australia-s-venice-artists-show-unprecedented-support-for-sacked-colleague-20250220-p5ldv3.html