‘This could have all been avoided’: how Creative Australia allowed itself to be blind-sided over its Venice Biennale pick

<p>High-profile artists and curators stunned by Creative Australia’s swift abandonment of Khaled Sabsabi, the art community, and the complex nature of art itself</p><p>A week after Creative Australia controversially dumped artist Khaled Sabsabi as Australia’s representative for the 2026 Venice Biennale, Richard Bell still can’t understand the decision.</p><p>The Kamilaroi, Kooma, Jiman and Gurang Gurang artist has a long history with the Venice Biennale and Australia’s peak arts funding body – in 2019, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/may/11/a-boat-wrapped-in-chains-and-a-pop-up-embassy-the-artist-intervening-at-venice-biennale">he crashed the prestigious showcase</a> after being passed over to officially represent Australia. He’s shocked that Creative Australia would allow itself to be blind-sided by criticism of Sabsabi’s past work, and its refusal to answer predictable attacks with a nuanced conversation.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/dec/21/sign-up-for-five-great-reads-guardian-australias-wrap-of-our-best-summer-stories">Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads</a></strong></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/feb/22/creative-australia-khaled-sabsabi-venice-biennale-controversy-richard-bell-ntwnfb">Continue reading...</a>