Creative Australia has awarded Khaled Sabsabi, the Lebanese Australian artist controversially dropped and then reinstated as Australia's Venice Biennale representative, a $100,000 grant. Sabsabi is one of 16 recipients under Creative Australia's Visual Arts, Craft and Design Framework. The grant will support a solo exhibition at the Samstag Museum of Art in Adelaide in 2027, which will also feature new work slated to debut at the Biennale's Australia Pavilion next year.
The controversy erupted in February when Creative Australia withdrew Sabsabi as the Biennale pick after concerns about past works, including one depicting Hassan Nasrallah, and claims he favored boycotts of Israel. The decision sparked widespread condemnation, accusations of censorship, and the departure of senior Creative Australia leaders. After Monash University initially postponed and then reinstated a Sabsabi exhibition, Creative Australia reversed its decision in July, reinstating Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino. This grant signals a continued institutional commitment to Sabsabi's work and underscores ongoing tensions around artistic freedom, censorship, and cultural representation in Australia.