The Lebanese-Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi has been dropped from representing the Australian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, five days after his appointment was first announced.
The decision follows pressure from critics, including an article in the Australian, which singled out Sabsabi’s 2007 film You. The film features an address by Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese paramilitary and political organization Hezbollah, who was assassinated last year. The speech was given at a 2006 victory rally in Beirut to celebrate the end of a 34-day war with Israel that was fought in the south of Lebanon. In the video, Nasrallah’s profile gradually splinters across the screen, while his voice is cast across two channels beneath additional layers of audio added by the artist. The headline in the Australian calls Sabsabi’s work a ‘creative approach to racism’.
The issue was also discussed in the Australian Senate when Claire Chandler raised Sabsabi’s selection, saying: ‘With such appalling antisemitism in our country, why is the Albanese government allowing the person who highlights a terrorist leader in his artwork to represent Australia on the international stage?’
The statement by Creative Australia, who organise the national pavilion, reads: ‘Creative Australia is an advocate for freedom of artistic expression and is not an adjudicator on the interpretation of art. 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 are yet to announce a replacement, and will carry out an internal review.
The 61st Venice Biennale, curated by Koyo Kouoh, opens in April 2026.
