Venice biennale winners 'appalled' at artist dumping

The artist and curator who won the Golden Lion for Australia at the 2024 Venice Biennale say they are "appalled" at the dumping of the nation's pick for 2026.

Artist Archie Moore and curator Ellie Buttrose won the prestigious prize for Best National Pavilion for the first time since Australia began participating in the Biennale in 1954.

They have now joined widespread calls for the reinstatement of 2026 team Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino.

The pair had been endorsed by Creative Australia, but were rapidly ditched on February 13 following political pressure from media and parliament.

"We were appalled to learn that on 13 February the Board of Creative Australia quickly and without transparent process rescinded its contract with Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino," Moore and Buttrose said in a statement issued late Wednesday.

They noted their selection for the Biennale was run through an expert artistic panel, which had proved its worth in 2024.

"It is distressing to see that the arms-length objectivity of the Australia Pavilion's selection process is so easily undone and that the independence of Creative Australia is so quickly compromised," they said.

Creative Australia has stated the decision to drop Sabsabi and Dagostino was made unanimously by its board.

The decision has caused turmoil in the art world, with resignations from the board and staff of the federal funding body.

"Creative Australia is an advocate for freedom of artistic expression and is not an adjudicator on the interpretation of art," it said in a statement announcing the decision.

"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."

Thousands have signed a petition calling for the team's reinstatement.

Moore and Buttrose have also called for transparency about how the choice was made to ditch the artistic team.

"The decision by the Creative Australia Board to remove the 2026 Artistic Team is a corruption of its core principles, and the longer-term and wider implications for Australian artists, art professionals and audiences are unacceptable," they said.

It is likely Australia will no longer be able to send a team to Venice in 2026, with other shortlisted artists and curators saying they would refuse to go, and time running out to select any other participants.