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Artist Khaled Sabsabi has received a $100,000 grant from Creative Australia for a new exhibition, months after the agency reinstated him as the Venice Biennale representative for 2026 following his controversial axing.
The grant will allow the western Sydney-based artist to create a major new work for the Samstag Museum of Art in Adelaide. Details of the commission are under wraps, but it must be unveiled by the end of June 2027.
Artist Khaled Sabsabi has been awarded a $100,000 grant.Credit: Janie Barrett
The announcement from Creative Australia makes no mention of the high-profile debacle that followed Sabsabi’s appointment to Venice, when he was sacked just days later.
Together with curator Michael Dagostino, Sabsabi was in February announced as Australia’s representative for the prestigious event. But the invitation was abruptly revoked after a series of questions in parliament from senator Claire Chandler, then the opposition arts spokeswoman, about several of Sabsabi’s older works.
After months of concerted lobbying and a slew of resignations – including two from Creative Australia – Sabsabi was reinstated as Australia’s representative for Venice. Despite a review into what happened, questions remain about how the decision to overturn his appointment was initially reached.
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The chair of the federal arts agency, Robert Morgan, stepped down three months after the controversial sacking.
Sabsabi’s grant is one of Creative Australia’s visual arts, craft and design framework major commissioning projects. The program supports 16 artists and collectives across the country to deliver new projects, and grants them $100,000 each.
“The new commission will offer Australian audiences the opportunity to experience a major new body of work from the highly acclaimed artist, following his international presentation at the Venice Biennale,” Creative Australia’s press release said.
An acclaimed multimedia artist who migrated to Australia with his family from Lebanon during the country’s civil war, Sabsabi has taken strong political positions on the war in Gaza. He is the first Lebanese-Australian artist selected to represent Australia at the biggest global event on the arts calendar.
Also among those to receive funding from the federal arts body are Australian National University’s Dr Baden Pailthorpe, who will collaborate with former AFL star Adam Goodes on a major new commission exploring sport, identity and cultural history.
More to come
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