Latest news with #MichaelDagostino
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Khaled Sabsabi show to go ahead after Monash University finishes ‘consultations'
An exhibition featuring works by Lebanese Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi that was called off by Monash University in March will open to the public next week, with the university announcing it had reversed its decision. Monash University 'postponed' Stolon Press: Flat Earth at Monash University Museum of Art (Muma) in Melbourne in the wake of Sabsabi being dumped as Australia's representative at the 2026 Venice Biennale. It was the first time a show had been pulled in Muma's 50-year history. The exhibition, originally scheduled to open on 8 May, includes large 'spiritual' calligraphic paintings by Sabsabi that he has made with Lebanese coffee and draw on his 'personal memories of his childhood in Lebanon during the civil war'. At the time of the postponement, a spokesperson for Monash claimed 'consultation with our communities' had revealed that Muma needed 'to deepen its collaboration and engagement on this exhibition. Postponing the event will allow this important work to be undertaken.' Sources told Guardian Australia they feared the timing indicated the decision had been influenced by federal arts body Creative Australia's cancellation of Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino's contract to represent Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale. That decision followed days of pressure from the Australian newspaper and Liberal politicians over Sabsabi's use of footage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in old works. Sabsabi's participation in a mass boycott of the 2022 Sydney festival over the sponsorship of an event by the Israeli embassy was also singled out by the Australian, amid a wider increased scrutiny of public figures who criticised Israel's conduct in Gaza or spoke in support of Palestine after the start of the Israel-Gaza war. Sabsabi has always fiercely rejected any claim that his work promotes antisemitism or terrorism, calling the suggestion 'disgusting'. Thousands of artists and art experts have called on Creative Australia to reverse its decision. On Tuesday, Monash University confirmed Stolon Press: Flat Earth will open at Muma on 29 May, saying it was 'postponed by Monash University while the university conducted consultations with Monash students and community.' Monash has so far not detailed the reasons why it needed to conduct consultations or why that required the postponement of an exhibition 18-months in the making. The exhibition is curated by Stolon Press, a Sydney-based art and publishing collective run by Simryn Gill and Tom Melick, and also features works by writer and anthropologist Elisa Taber. Days after Flat Earth was cancelled, Sabsabi told Guardian Australia Creative Australia's decision was 'dismantling' his career and impacting his wellbeing. 'Nobody should have to go through this torture,' he said. 'It's unfair and it's put on by Creative Australia and those people that made that decision … essentially gave the go-ahead to define me as somebody who I am not.' Creative Australia said it sacked Sabsabi and Dagostino to avoid a 'prolonged and divisive debate' – but the decision provoked a storm of backlash in the art world, as well as a broader conversation about the pillorying of public figures who not only voiced criticism of Israel, but even those who spoke in support of Palestinians.
The Guardian
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘A lot of pride and joy': the First Nations team representing Australia at the Venice Biennale of Architecture
Australia's participation in next year's Venice Biennale remains under a cloud. With Creative Australia holding fast to its decision to cancel its commission of artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino, it's becoming increasingly likely that the Australian Pavilion might remain dark in 2026. It is an added weight for the First Nations team who have unveiled their new creation inside the pavilion as part of Venice's other biennale: the Venice Biennale of Architecture, held every other year in the Giardini. The seven designers, collectively working under the moniker The Creative Sphere, are the first all Indigenous team Australia has sent to Venice. Tasked with introducing Indigenous concepts of building, design and connection to Country to the world, they have painstakingly reconstructed their rammed-earth, 4.8 metre by nine metre prototype called Home, first created at the University of Sydney. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Hand-built from scratch from sustainable materials – clay, plaster and plywood – sourced from within the Veneto region, Home's construction relied on barges travelling up Venice's canals and off-loading at the base of the Australian pavilion's elevated site. From there, wheelbarrows and makeshift ramps were the only means of transporting the building materials inside. Home's walls are made from 139 individually cast plaster panels, each of which required a minimum of five to six people to make. 'The oils of our skins are embedded throughout this entire exhibition,' says Worimi and Biripi Guri architect Jack Gillmer-Lilley, of SJB Architecture in Sydney and part of The Creative Sphere. It is his hope that Home will encourage each visitor to the Australian Pavilion to embrace their unique relationship with the concept of home. 'For me, the definition keeps changing, it's not tangible,' he says. 'I never had a stable home growing up. There was lot of family trauma, there's a lot of stories of happiness, a lot of sadness and we were always moving around. Home for me is where I can feel connected with my family, regardless of where in the world I am at the time.' For Quandamooka architect Bradley Kerr, home used to be 'where Mum is'; now the father-of-two defines home as wherever he can 'share in his son's smile and stupid fart jokes'. 'We didn't want to impose a feeling or an image or an idea on to people,' he adds. 'We wanted people to find something they relate to and connect to, because for us as First Nations people, it's one of the ways that we relate to and connect with each other, and it's something that we felt we really needed to share within this space.' The Creative Sphere team were working when the news broke that Sabsabi and Dagostino had been sacked by Creative Australia, the producers of their biennale project (with the Australian Institute of Architects, which commissions them). The architects shared a statement in solidarity with the artist, writing on Instagram: 'As First Nations people, we respond to this act of censorship, exclusion and marginalisation with disappointment and concern.' Although the project never started with it in mind, Home became the team's response to the defeat of the voice referendum in 2023. 'We're still trying to demonstrate that we want to move forward together, and that we want to celebrate and share our culture with Australian people,' says Kerr. 'We want to continue to be generous, in spite of all the backlash, the racism that we have to manage and juggle and face on a daily and weekly basis. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion 'People want, and expect, marginalised people to feel all of that deep sadness and trauma. But our strength comes from joy, in spite of all of the challenges that we face. Joy in itself can be an act of resistance.' Last year, a primary school in Sydney's Darlington took out the highest prize at the World Architectural festival in Singapore, praised for its celebration of the school's 'strong connections to Aboriginal people' and its incorporation of Indigenous art and design . The same architectural firm, FJC Studio, also designed the Yellamundie library in south-west Sydney, which was named one of the world's four most beautiful new libraries in September. While only 0.3% of architecture students graduating from Australian universities identify as First Nations, multiple projects recently recognised by the AIA have incorporated connection to country at the centre of their design, including Spinifex Hill Project Space, Mildura's Powerhouse Place, Darwin's Nungalinya student accommodation project, and the North Head viewing platforms. 'We're getting stronger and stronger engagement with Indigenous place, country and the influence of Indigenous thinking around how buildings work … and how they actually speak to the significance of a place,' former AIA president Stuart Tanner told the Guardian in December. 'This is a whole other layer to architecture which is going to, I believe, elevate Australian architecture to a level far beyond what traditionally people might think architects do.' When the Venice Biennale of Architecture concludes, Home will be manually dismantled, all its materials returned to the landscape they came from. No screws, adhesives or metal fixings were used in Home's construction. 'It was a tough build,' Gillmer-Lilley says. 'The amount of energy, the amount of emotions that were put in the creation of this … but it gives us a lot of pride and joy in the outcome.'
The Guardian
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Panel who recommended Sabsabi for Venice Biennale ‘deeply concerned' by Creative Australia pulling artist
An independent panel who advised Creative Australia on the selection of Khaled Sabsabi for the 61st Venice Biennale say they are 'deeply concerned' by the abrupt decision to rescind his appointment. The panel has broken their silence amid mounting calls for an inquiry into the board's decision to drop the Lebanese-Australian artist and curator Michael Dagostino from the 2026 event following media and political criticism of two of Sabsabi's historical artworks. It follows Creative Australia's announcement earlier today that it will commission an 'immediate independent external' review into the 'artistic selection process' that led to the artistic team being chosen to represent Australia. In a letter written to Creative Australia's chair Robert Morgan, the board and it's CEO, Adrian Collette, the five-member panel expressed support for the dumped artistic team, and called on the board to explain why it ditched the duo. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'The Panel is deeply concerned by the decision to rescind the appointment, as well as the impact that is having on the Artistic Team, and the people otherwise connected with the selection process,' the group said. 'We urge Creative Australia and the Australia Council Board (together with the wider Australian and international artistic communities) to provide support to and stand with Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino at this difficult time. 'Any failure to do so would not reflect the expectation of integrity which is at the core of thriving artistic and democratic communities or demonstrate care for the people they engage. All five panel members called for transparency from the board 'on the process and reasoning for its decision to rescind the selection' which they said 'will go some way to mitigate the confusion, disappointment, and hurt' that is being felt by the artistic team and the broader arts community. The panel members were: Anthony Gardner, Prof of Contemporary Art History at the University of Oxford, Dunja Rmandić, the director of the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Dr Mariko Smith, the First Nations curator at the Australian Museum, Wassan Al-Khudhairi, a curator of contemporary art from the Arab world and Elaine Chia, the executive director of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation. The panel's letter also sheds some light on the selection process, which involved panellists providing individual advice on the six shortlisted teams to the Creative Australia CEO in one-on-one meetings. 'Our task as an independent, peer review Panel was to advise Creative Australia and the Board in their selection of the Artistic Team. This role was a privilege and an honour,' the group said. While the panel provided advice, Guardian Australia understands the final decision was made by the CEO of Creative Australia and the Head of Visual Arts based on the panel's expert advice. Mikala Tai, who has led Creative Australia's visual arts department for more than four years tendered her resignation on Friday after the board revoked the appointment. The panel said they were informed of the final selection of the artistic team on the same date as the media, and they only became aware of the decision to rescind that appointment when the news broke. 'While the Panel has sought clarification from Creative Australia following its decision to rescind the original appointment, no explanation beyond its public statements has been received at the time of issuing this statement,' the panel said. 'The Panel was not consulted or communicated with in respect to the decision to rescind the appointment, and is not involved in any process following that decision.' It comes as almost 3,000 artists, curators, writers and academics signed a petition calling on Creative Australia to reinstate Sabsabi and Dagostino. The petition, organised by weekly Melbourne-based art criticism journal Memo, said it would be an essential step in upholding the integrity of Creative Australia's statutory functions and its commitment to artistic independence. Some of Australia's most highly awarded artists have signed, including Tony Albert, Hoda Afshar, Bronwyn Bancroft, brothers Abdul-Rahman Abdullah and Abdul Abdullah, and a number of artists who have represented Australia in Venice in past biennales, including Judy Watson, Fiona Hall, Susan Norrie and Callum Morton. The petition said Creative Australia's decision set a concerning precedent for artistic freedom and sectoral independence. 'If public pressure and political sensitivities of the day can determine — apparently within a matter of hours — Creative Australia's support for artists after selection, what does this mean for future appointments, funding decisions, and the autonomy and credibility of Australian artists on the world stage?' the petition statement said. It spelled out that, under the Creative Australia Act 2023, the Australian Government's principal arts investment and advisory body was required to support artistic excellence, uphold freedom of expression, and foster diversity in Australian arts practice. 'We do not see how Creative Australia's justification for withdrawing Australia's representation — concerns over 'prolonged and divisive debate' — fulfils its statutory functions under the Act,' the statement said. Guardian Australia understands that the same selection process was used in 2022 for the previous biennale in which First Nations artist Archie Moore was picked to represent Australia. Moore went on to win the Golden Lion at the event - becoming the first ever Australian to win the prestigious award. Sabsabi has previously won numerous accolades for his work, and has exhibited dozens of major works at events in Australia and abroad. Creative Australia declined to comment.
The National
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Venice Biennale pavilion drops Lebanese artist, sparking backlash
Artistic duo Michael Dagostino and Khaled Sabsabi have been barred from presenting their work at the Australia pavilion at next year's Venice Biennale. The decision, announced by Creative Australia on Thursday, follows criticism from local media and parliamentarians over a past video installation by Sabsabi. The 2007 work, created for Australia's Museum of Contemporary Art, depicted former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Additionally, Lebanese-born artist Sabsabi's decision to join a 2022 boycott of the Sydney Festival – protesting a reported sponsorship deal with the Israeli embassy – has also been cited as a point of contention. In response, the duo issued a statement to The Guardian Australia describing the move as a form of censorship. 'Art should not be censored as artists reflect the times they live in,' they said. "We intended to present a transformational work in Venice, an experience that would unite all audiences in an open and safe shared space. This reflects and builds on the work we have done for decades and will do for many more. 'We believe in the vision of artists for an inclusive future that can bring us together to communicate and progress our shared humanity. We also believe that, despite this decision, the Australian art world will not dim and or be silent. 'The artistic team is still committed to presenting this work on a global platform and will seek community support to make this happen.' Several leading Australian artists including those shortlisted to showcase their work in the pavilion – Hayley Millar Baker, James Nguyen and Tina Baum – also issued a joint public letter to the board of Creative Australia, criticising the move. "We believe that revoking support for the current Australian artist and curator representatives for Venice Biennale 2026 is antithetical to the goodwill and hard-fought artistic independence, freedom of speech and moral courage that is at the core of arts in Australia, which plays a crucial role in our thriving and democratic nation,' they wrote. The Lock-Up, a renowned Australia artist in residence programme, also took to Instagram to lament the decision. "The Lock-Up is deeply saddened by the decision to withdraw Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino as the artist and curator team of the Australian pavilion at the Venice Biennale," read the post. "An artist, who by faith and by practice, investigates peace, connection, inclusivity and the elevation of the human spirit from human hubris. 'This is not only a disappointing decision but comes at an as yet uncalculated cost to multiple communities across cultures as well as our national and international creative relations. 'The Lock-Up receives Creative Australia funding. We appreciate the complexities and interdependence of funding and competing priorities in government and global relations. We choose in this instance, however, to say we do not agree with this action under any circumstances and that this is not reflective of the freedom and rigour of creative research and expression in this region.' Creative Australia said it was a unanimous decision to axe the duo and made to ensure its objectives were not undermined. 'Creative Australia is an advocate for freedom of artistic expression and is not an adjudicator on the interpretation of art,' it said. '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 will be reviewing the selection process for the Venice Biennale 2026." Born in Tripoli and now residing in Sydney, Sabsabi moved to Australia in 1978 following the outbreak of Lebanon's civil war. He began his creative career as a hip-hop performer before transitioning to sound and visual installation. His works have previously been displayed at the Sharjah Biennial, the Marrakesh Biennale and Shanghai Zendai's Museum of Modern Art.
