Hello Uncultured Swine,
Australia’s art world imploded this month, pashmina’s tossed over shoulders as politics bristled against government creative bodies. Ahuh - there’s tea. And I’m going to tell the story in a way that’s hopefully both juicy and sensitive – as there’s some deeeeep muck in this story, and I’d like to avoid sinking my foot in it.
To start, I’ll introduce our key characters:
Venice Biennale
The Coachella of the fine arts world. What can only be described as the Most Prestigious Cultural Institution per its website. It’s held in – and you won’t believe this - Venice.
Creative Australia
A place where poor people who draw, paint, sing etc apply for grants. Overseen by a board with the highest percentage of cocked brow to champion-of-the-arts per capita. Adrian Collette is the CEO whatever that means and Robert Morgan is Chair whatever that means.
Khaled Sabsabi
Creative Australia’s pick for Venice Biennale 2026. A visual artist who’s worked, ‘in detention centres, schools, prisons, refugee and settlements camps, hospitals and youth centres.’ So a real mean guy. His output is often thought provoking, as a man who’s seen some shit and who fled conflict in Lebanon as a child.
Shadow Arts Minister Claire Chandler
Wears a blow-out, skirt suit and pearl earrings, which loosely means she went to private school, hates poor people and gender affirmation surgeries. Anyway, Chandler is the shadow minister for arts. Thankfully, queerness and questioning gender norms never really come up in art.
Senator Penny Wong and Arts Minister Tony Burke
Wong has been a politician for ages, done bad things, good things, well tolerated by most. Tony Burke is as his title (a minor character).
Ok, now we have the characters, time for the story which I’ve broken into (brief) classic narrative form: explication > complication > climax > resolution.
Chapter one: a decision is made
Creative Australia’s board announced the artist they chose for Venice Biennale 2026 (fine arts Coachella) on the 7th of February, 2025. Chairman, Robert Morgan, congratulated Khaled Sabsabi on the 100k commission, fully endorsing the multi-faceted artist while the artist pinched himself.
Sabsabi did not expect this appointment. In an interview that’s aged like milk, he said,
“To tell you the truth, I have applied four times and I felt that, in this time and in this space, this wouldn’t happen because of who I am.”
The ‘time and space’ Sabsabi is referring to is Australia’s somewhat fractured handling of the Gaza – Israel conflict; where a simple question of human rights violation is often conflated with clear instances anti-Semitism. More on that conversational hot cake later.
On the 13th of February, 2025 - five days later - Creative Australia back flipped on their chosen artist....
Chapter two: a canneth of wormseth is openeth
Surprisingly, artist Sabsabi did nothing to warrant the change of heart in these five days.
No, the unravelling happened during senate question time, which is where a bunch of politicians sit in a circle and ask the person with the talky stick questions. Senator Penny Wong had the talky stick. Shadow arts minister Claire Chandler had the question.
Chandler asked Wong how the Government could allow an artist who highlights a terrorist leader in his work to be commissioned for Venice Biennale.
Shock rippled through the chambers.
In a very Emilia Perez turn, Chandler’s internet sleuths unearthed a digital piece by Sabsabi from 2006-07. In which, Hezbollah’s (group involved in the Gaza/Israel conflict) leader, Nasrallah, is shown with a halo around his head amongst other footage.
This was the first Wong heard of it. Clearly ambushed, she did the old ‘umm... huh?.... We don’t support terrorists.... Hmwhy? Who said?’ While likely thinking fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck.
Bad bad not good. The government can’t, in any way, be seen to be endorsing the very group they’ve blanket demonised for years.
After question time, Wong cornered a sweaty art minister, Tony Burke, who was already on the blower to Creative Australia’s CEO saying, I assume, ‘what the fucking fuck man? Why’d you commission this artist man?’ grasping for any possible recourse.
But the damage was already done.
Chapter three: pandemonium
In the only art emergency in history, a late-night meeting of Creative Australia’s board was called. Black turtle necks, coloured spectacles and cocked-brows went flying as the board fought over the selection of Khaled Sabsabi.
Some members pushed to keep him, while others were in vehement opposition. An outcome was reached, they would drop Sabsabi, but the matter was in no way resolved.
The meeting led to, at time of writing, three senior resignations from the organisation. One of whom, artist and proponent for Sabsabi, Lindy Lee, said she felt no room to breathe in the discussion, adding,
“Nobody except those involved can ever know how fraught and heartbreaking that meeting was.”
Oh. My. Days.
Chapter four: a nasty break up
In the week following it’s become a case of art versus state. The five unsuccessful applicants for the Venice Biennale released a joint statement suggesting the board’s decision threatens ‘freedom of speech’ and requested Sabsabi be reinstated. As have previous commissioned artists and artists’ estates. Donors and affiliates of Creative Australia have pulled funding with few publicly condemning the organisation.
The scandal already international news and no one yet willing to take the artists place, Australia’s 2026 pavilion could - and maybe should - remain empty.
Chapter five: the accidental coup
In a satisfying turn, the drama itself has probably been more politically potent than any pavilion Sabsabi could’ve created. Not because he’s a bad artist (which he isn’t). Because, and I mean no disrespect, I gave very few fucks about Venice Biennale until this happened – even as someone who supposedly likes this cultural shite.
But Khaled has managed to expose the belly of artistic institutions, poke at politicians, start far reaching discourse and divide the art world, all without putting pencil to paper.
And if that ain’t art, baby, I don’t know what is.
Sorry darlings that was a biggie! Please know I don’t wish to trivialise this subject, especially as it pertains to horrifying conflict - but I, an idiot, lack critical knowledge and understanding to write about it through any other lens then the art.
Next week maybe I talk about something less inflammatory? like sex or money.
C U Next Tuesday my loves xoxoxoxoxoxo Maggie Jean
Thanks for reading, thanks Grace for editing <3
I caught only a slight wind of this in London. Thanks for an excellent summary!
Sounds spicy. I bet the memes have been glorious