Apology for hurt and pain as Venice arts duo reinstated
Liz Hobday and Kat Wong |
An artistic duo axed and then reinstated as Australia’s pick for one of the world’s most prestigious arts events has received an apology.
Wesley Enoch, the acting chair of arts funding body Creative Australia, has apologised to artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino for what they have gone through since their commission was controversially revoked in February.
It comes after Creative Australia announced on Wednesday the pair would once again represent Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale, regarded as the Olympics of the art world.
Sabsabi and Dagostino were dumped after two of Sabsabi’s early artworks, one showing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and another depicting the 9/11 attacks, were raised in federal parliament.
“I want to apologise to them for the hurt and pain they’ve gone through in this process,” Mr Enoch told ABC Radio, noting he had already offered an in-person apology.
“Although we will be stronger as a sector because of it, I know it’s come at a personal cost – not just to them but also to a whole range of people in the arts sector.
“We, as Creative Australia, need to help the whole sector learn some of these lessons going forward.”
Enoch on Thursday described Sabsabi as an “incredibly peace-loving artist”, adding his work was not about the glorification of terrorism.
“Those who choose to mischaracterise the work aren’t being honest to the intention of the work or the practice that this artist has,” he said.
Sabsabi and Dagostino said the decision had renewed their confidence in Creative Australia.
The reinstatement “allows us to move forward with optimism and hope after a period of significant personal and collective hardship”, they said in a statement.
Shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser remains unhappy with Creative Australia’s reversal, arguing the issues raised in February persist.
“I think this is the wrong person to be sending to this prestigious art festival, as a representative of our country, and to give them taxpayer funds,” he told ABC Radio.
The arts funding and advisory body backpedalled on its earlier decision to axe the pair after an independent review found various missteps, oversights and misunderstandings in the decision-making process.
No one at the funding body was as well prepared as they needed to be for potentially divisive controversy surrounding the decision, its report found.
While outlining “contentious issues” for regular funding applications was standard practice at Creative Australia, there was no evidence of any formal assessment of these issues during the Venice Biennale process, it found.
This was despite an awareness within the organisation by the very few staff with knowledge of the selection that the decision was potentially controversial – not due to the nature of the proposed artwork, but because selecting an artist with Middle Eastern heritage was felt to be “bold” or “courageous” during a polarising conflict in the region.
One factor contributing to shortcomings in the process was Creative Australia’s broader remit due to the Labor government’s national cultural policy, with staff, leadership, and the board noting the organisation was “stretched”.
The governance review also found Creative Australia has a “considerable task” to rebuild trust with some of its own employees, and with parts of the creative community.
Meanwhile, philanthropist Simon Mordant has returned as Australia’s ambassador to the Biennale, following his resignation from the role in February and withdrawal of financial support due to “poor process” at Creative Australia.
In a statement, he expressed hope the reinstatement could be a “watershed moment” for the arts community, such that it could work towards eliminating racism and anti-Semitism from the sector.
AAP
