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The Guardian
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
After the Sabsabi debacle, Creative Australia must learn to embrace controversy
After months of angst and uproar in the arts, the decision has finally been reconfirmed: Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino will represent Australia at the Venice Biennale in 2026. An independent report, which was initially only tasked with reviewing the selection process and not the board's decision to rescind the appointment, has identified the 'missteps' of that decision and the board has had the courage to respond accordingly. There will be some detractors but I have no doubt that when the work is unveiled next year, all the preconceived fears will be laid to rest. The question now is: how can Creative Australia rebuild confidence in its role in supporting the visual arts? The report raises some red flags with regard to the selection process for future Venice Biennales – for example, among all the well-intentioned recommendations about risk management, it says the future selection process will need take into account what 'could be so polarising and divisive as to have a material impact on the ability of Creative Australia to discharge effectively its statutory functions'. This phrase is troubling. As a museum director of many years experience, I am well aware of how hard it is to predict what will stir up controversy. And what is genuine community concern, as opposed to media beat-up? People may be surprised to learn that complaints about content in artworks are rare and usually driven by those who have not seen the work. Creative Australia will have to demonstrate that prejudging what might cause offence does not lead to the bland and the boring. The report also references the tensions between artistic freedom and Creative Australia's responsibility towards the wider community. I do not believe that there needs to be such a distinction. We should have a funding body that supports artists to make work that is critical and demanding as well as organisations that make the bridge between this work and a wider public, who do have an appetite for contemporary art. The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, where I was once director, became the most visited museum of contemporary art in the world, while putting artists and artistic excellence at its core. But there is more to be done in the immediate aftermath of this debacle. What we need is strong leadership from Creative Australia in relation to the visual arts. Why does this matter? It matters because in the age of artificial intelligence, creativity will be a driving force of the future. AI relies on human creativity and educational experts have identified creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and empathy as the skills and qualities that employers of the future will be seeking. These are the very skills that working with art and artists can contribute to society. Sign up for our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning We also need support for galleries as we face the challenges of a society dominated by social media. Over a decade ago I sat on a panel discussing the impact of new technology on the arts and a panellist announced that, in future, art would be online and galleries redundant. We would all sit at home viewing art through ever more sophisticated gadgets. It has not happened. Social media instead can drive audiences to galleries – there is a strong desire for a shared, real experience to combat the world of the virtual. Why do visitors still flock to see works of art such as the Mona Lisa? Online representations are not enough – audiences want the power of the real, often a shared experience. Galleries in Australia and around the world can attest to this interest, especially from young people. Galleries can and still should be safe places for the discussion of difficult issues through the work of artists. There is now an opportunity for Creative Australia to take the lead and review the ecology of the visual arts across the country and to overcome the perception that it is an agency for the performing arts. We have seen a renewed focus on literature and music, so why not visual arts? It has been more than 20 years since the Australia Council's Myer inquiry into contemporary visual arts and craft, which focused on the organisations it funded, not the whole sector; I have long thought that our regional galleries, for example, play a vital role in engaging audiences with new work. A new strategic framework for the visual arts, with a commitment to respecting peer review in selection processes, could transform Creative Australia's relationship with the sector and restore confidence. What Australia needs is a visionary federal agency that works closely with all levels of government and other funders, respected for its commitment to artists. Instead of shying away from controversy, a strong agency would embrace it and work to engage the public. Art does matter – if it didn't, why all the recent outrage? Elizabeth Ann Macgregor is a curator and art historian and was the director of MCA Australia until 2021.
ABC News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Unanswered questions in wake of Creative Australia's backflip on Venice Biennale artist Khaled Sabsabi
And so we return to where we began almost six months ago. Following an external review and months of outrage in the arts community, the artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino are once again Australia's representatives to the 2026 Venice Biennale, after Creative Australia's latest backflip. The February decision to remove the pair — a week after their Biennale selection was celebrated — led to Creative Australia resignations, damaged the funding body's relationship with the arts sector, and sullied the public reputation of an artist. Sabsabi and Dagostino said in a statement that having their Biennale selection reinstated "offers a sense of resolution and allows us to move forward with optimism and hope after a period of significant personal and collective hardship". And while acting Creative Australia chair Wesley Enoch praised the board's "very big heart" for engaging in a review of the decision to scrap Sabsabi "with integrity and thoughtfulness and mov[ing] forward", the impacts of the month-long arts scandal will not immediately be forgotten. Nor does Sabsabi's reinstatement mean that the many questions surrounding his Biennale saga are now answered. "The [external] review, for all the detail, does not actually clarify the decision-to-cancel process," Adelaide Writers Week director and senior arts commentator Louise Adler says. "What we do know is that the decision to cancel [Sabsabi and Dagostino] was a reaction to political pressure." After concerns were raised in February in parliament by senator Claire Chandler and in The Australian newspaper about two of Sabsabi's earlier artworks, Creative Australia's board scheduled an emergency meeting and came to a unanimous decision to withdraw the Venice Biennale commission. At a later Senate Estimates, when senator Sarah Hanson-Young asked Creative Australia CEO Adrian Collette why legal advice had not been sought prior to the decision being made, it led to the following exchange: Adrian Collette — We didn't have time. Sarah Hanson-Young — You didn't have time? AC — No, we didn't have time. SHY — According to who? AC — According to us. We had to make that decision very quickly. Esther Anatolitis, the editor of Meanjin and former executive director of the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA), says it's still unclear why that was the case. "The issue really is, what was the hurry? And why did they perceive that as a crisis, when all that happened was that there was one critical and factually incorrect attack on the work which, as Blackhall and Pearl's report says, was capable of being defended by Creative Australia." Instead, the board's decision to drop Sabsabi sparked a massive backlash from the arts community, and a review was commissioned to examine the process, but not the merit, of the decisions that were made. The review's report states that Creative Australia was not "appropriately prepared" for "what, inevitably, was going to be a controversial decision". The report notes that the process of selecting Sabsabi and Dagostino was generally the same as it had been for 2024's representative, Archie Moore, who won the Golden Lion for his work at the Biennale. But "the external social and political context, particularly in late January-early February 2025, was profoundly different." It wasn't Sabsabi's proposal for the Biennale that was contentious, though. Instead, the report notes: "The source of potential controversy was seen to lie in the fact of selecting any artist with heritage connected to the Middle East at a time when conflict in that region was so emotive and polarising." Adler says it beggars belief that this climate was not sufficiently considered by Creative Australia. "There's not an arts organisation in the country that hasn't had to provide their increasingly risk-averse boards with risk assessments. "If Creative Australia was blindsided by the complexities of inviting Sabsabi, it suggests either a worrying level of naivety or a political judgement that a Brown artist from the western suburbs will tick a whole lot of boxes. Creative Australia's actions don't exist in a vacuum. A court found this month that the ABC had unfairly terminated Antoinette Lattouf because of her political opinion. Justice Darryl Rangiah found external pressure from "pro-Israel lobbyists" had played a role in the ABC's decision. The ABC's new managing director, Hugh Marks, has since conceded the ABC acted out of turn. Anatolitis argues that the Lattouf matter is "a parallel example of a privileged bypassing of a normal rigorous complaints procedure … knowing that it would fail … in order to achieve the outcome that the vexatious complainants intended". Adler also draws a link between the two events. "As with the suppression of the names of the "Lawyers for Israel" who campaigned for Lattouf's sacking, those who briefed Senator Chandler will probably never be outed." Adler says. Shortly after Creative Australia announced it had dropped Sabsabi, Monash University decided to postpone an exhibition curated by Stolon Press at their gallery, MUMA, featuring artwork by Sabsabi. "There's no question that Creative Australia's decision to cancel the invitation to Michael and to Khaled influenced Monash's decision to postpone the Stolon Press exhibition," Rebecca Coates, the director of MUMA, says. "We were dealing with a very singular interpretation of two still images from a very complex moving image artwork that were being used … as a means of progressing an argument. In May, Monash University also backflipped on its decision to "indefinitely postpone" its exhibition featuring Sabsabi, and in June the exhibition opened. Coates believes that has had an influence on the national arts funding body. "I think Monash's decision to subsequently proceed with the Stolon Press exhibition, which included Khaled's contribution as a collaborator, was inevitably part of the context in which Creative Australia decided to proceed with Khaled and Michael's representation at Venice," she says. Many within the arts have celebrated Sabsabi and Dagostino's reinstatement. However, opposition to the selection remains. Julian Leeser, shadow minister for the arts, told ABC Radio National Breakfast: "I think Creative Australia's made the wrong decision. The representative of Australia on the world stage should reflect our values and to reinstate this artist as our representative at Biennale and to give them taxpayers' funds I think flies in the face of those values. "Creative Australia has responsibilities to the taxpayer and the broader Australian community. I believe those issues continue to remain and that I believe Creative Australia should not have unmade their decision that they previously made to withdraw Mr Sabsabi from this exhibition at this time," he said. Coates interprets the decision differently; she see it as "a signal of renewal, growth and connectedness and, I believe, a shared future". "Some of these issues are coming up at such a rapid pace that the systems that were relevant to us even two years ago are no longer fit for purpose. And we, as a sector, have to be engaged in much more rigorous conversations around the messaging, the risk assessment, and how we go forward." For his part, Sabsabi told Nine newspapers in April: "I'm an artist, not a politician. "And my work for over 35 years is about finding ways to converse through complexity." He may now be in a position to hold that conversation a little more freely.
Irish Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on basic income for artists: keep it going
Reports this week that Minister for Arts Patrick O'Donovan supports the continuation of the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) scheme will be welcomed by the sector. Introduced on a pilot basis by the Minister's predecessor, Catherine Martin, in October 2022, the scheme provides a payment of about ¤325 per week to 2,000 full-time artists selected by lottery from a larger group of 9,000 applicants. The intention was to gather robust data on whether such payment delivered meaningful benefits to the working practice of participants. Virtually every political party in the Dáil committed during last year's election campaign to the BIA's continuation. But there was more ambiguity on the matter in the Programme for Government. That was perfectly reasonable as the data required examination before any decision could be made. But it caused disquiet among artists' groups as the expiry date in August approached. The Minister has now confirmed he will seek funding to 'extend and expand' the BIA. His comments follow the release of a report which found it 'significantly impacts the subjective experience of financial uncertainty in the lives of recipients'. The scheme is a response to the fact that precarity and low incomes are a reality of life for many professional artists. This diminishes their ability to reach their full creative potential. It also acts as a barrier to entry for those from economically marginalised backgrounds, perpetuating the stereotype of the arts as a middle-class playground. For these reasons, the basic income is an imaginative and positive addition to more traditional funding mechanisms such as the Arts Council. READ MORE The challenge for O'Donovan and his officials will lie in redefining the scheme and securing the necessary funds. How many artists will be supported in future and will their participation be time-limited? The BIA currently costs the department ¤35 million per year, compared to spending of ¤300 million overall on arts and culture, so any expansion could have significant budgetary implications. None of this should be insuperable, though, and the Minister has made the right call.
New York Times
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Dead Outlaw' Cancels Library of Congress Concert to Protest Firing
The Broadway musical 'Dead Outlaw' announced on Friday that it was canceling an upcoming concert performance at the Library of Congress, one day after the Trump administration fired its top librarian. A brief statement from the show, which earned seven Tony nominations this month, said that it had decided not to perform at the library 'upon learning of the termination of Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress.' Dr. Hayden, the first African American and first woman to serve as head of the institution, was a 'fierce advocate for preserving America's cultural memory and a great champion of the Broadway community,' the statement said. No other details were given. The Library of Congress had planned to present a free concert on Monday afternoon featuring members of the cast and creative team of 'Dead Outlaw' performing selections from the show at its Coolidge Auditorium. The cancellation is the latest indication of the growing tensions between some in the arts community and the Trump administration. President Trump has once again proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts, and last week the endowment began withdrawing grants from arts organizations around the country. This week some members of the cast of 'Les Misérables' were said to be planning not to perform at a gala performance at the Kennedy Center that Mr. Trump, who took over the center, was planing to attend. Earlier this year, a string of artists and speakers canceled engagements at the Kennedy Center after Mr. Trump purged the historically bipartisan board of Biden appointees and made himself chairman. Dr. Hayden's firing on Thursday drew swift outrage from Democrats, many of whom praised her work, including Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic minority leader, who said in a statement that Dr. Hayden was an 'accomplished, principled and distinguished' leader of the library. She was appointed as the 14th librarian of Congress by President Barack Obama in 2016. She was fired a year before the end of her 10-year term. Cindy Hohl, the president of the American Library Association, condemned the firing in a statement, saying that Dr. Hayden's 'abrupt and unjust dismissal is an insult to the scope and breadth of work she has undertaken in her role leading the Library of Congress.' Dr. Hayden was fired in a two-sentence email from Trent Morse, the deputy director of White House personnel. The notice did not cite a cause. The Library of Congress is the latest federal cultural institution to come under fire from Mr. Trump. In February he abruptly fired Colleen Shogan, the head of the National Archives, who had been appointed by former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., without citing any reason. And in an executive order in March, he criticized the Smithsonian Institution, and directed Vice President JD Vance to seek to influence its Board of Regents.
CNN
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
5 things to know for May 8: Immigration, Medicaid, Auto tariffs, Surgeon general, Tyre Nichols
Some cast members from the touring production of 'Les Misérables' will not appear in the show next month at the Kennedy Performing Arts Center. At least 10 to 12 members of the cast and ensemble have reportedly decided to boycott the high-dollar fundraiser and performance. The move highlights the friction between the arts community and the Trump administration that was sparked in February when 18 Kennedy Center board members were purged from the DC-based performing arts complex, only to be replaced by allies of President Donald Trump. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. Get '5 Things' in your inbox If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. The judicial branch continued to hammer the Trump administration over its immigration actions, particularly when it comes to due process. On Wednesday, a federal judge concluded that deporting migrants to Libya or Saudi Arabia would violate his previous order, which barred sending migrants to countries other than their own without providing written notice and an opportunity to contest ahead of time. In Minnesota, a federal district court judge ordered the release of an international student who entered the US on a valid F-1 visa and was arrested in March after that visa was revoked. Mohammed Hoque, a Bangladeshi national, argued that he was targeted for his political speech and not for any immigration violations or criminal activity. A federal appeals court also upheld a lower court's decision to transfer Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish national and PhD student at Tufts University, from a Louisiana immigration detention center back to custody in Vermont. In an opinion released Wednesday, the three-judge panel said the US had failed to prove it could suffer harm over the transfer. The House Republican conference is reportedly fractured and the battle lines are becoming more pronounced. One of the biggest sticking points: Medicaid and the related Children's Health Insurance Program, which nearly 80 million children, senior citizens, people with disabilities, parents and adults without dependents rely on for critical care. Speaker Mike Johnson wants to quickly pass President Trump's 'big beautiful bill' of tax and spending cuts — preferably before Memorial Day — but members of his party can't seem to reach a consensus on how much to cut. GOP hardliners want to slash Medicaid spending, while more moderate Republicans refuse to back any changes that could hurt Americans who rely on the program. 'I don't want to be mean,' Rep. Andrew Garbarino, a Republican from a New York swing district, told CNN. 'And I think any time it looks like we're actually hurting people, that's gonna piss off the American population. And if you piss them off, they're probably not going to vote for you.' President Trump's global trade war is starting to take a toll on automakers. Since April 3, imported vehicles have faced a tariff of up to 25%. In response, Ford announced on Wednesday that it was hiking the sticker prices for the three US models it imports from Mexico — the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the Maverick and the Bronco Sport — by up to $2,000 each. This increase comes just days after executives said that they didn't expect a significant increase in car prices this year. And earlier today, Toyota forecast a 21% profit decline for the current financial year due to Trump's tariffs and the negative impact of a stronger yen. As the world's top-selling automaker, Toyota will have to deal with both the impact of tariffs on its US-bound vehicles and the potential for a downturn in consumer sentiment when car prices rise. The White House announced yesterday that it had pulled its nomination for Dr. Janette Nesheiwat to be the surgeon general. The news came just one day before Nesheiwat's Senate confirmation hearing was supposed to begin. Nesheiwat — a family physician, former Fox News medical contributor and the sister-in-law of UN ambassador nominee Mike Waltz — has been replaced by Dr. Casey Means. Although Means graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine, she dropped out during her residency. An author, wellness influencer and the sister of White House health adviser Calley Means, Casey Means is now a holistic medicine doctor whose medical license has been inactive since 2024. It took the jury just 8 1/2 hours to find three former Memphis officers not guilty of all state charges in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols. In 2023, Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, fled a traffic stop after he was yanked out of his car, pepper-sprayed and hit with a Taser. Five officers, who are also Black, caught up with him and punched, kicked and hit him with a police baton while trying to handcuff him. Afterward, video showed the officers talking and laughing as Nichols struggled with his injuries. He died three days later. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Nichols' family, expressed his outrage at the outcome of the trial. 'Today's verdicts are a devastating miscarriage of justice,' Crump stated. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith still face the prospect of years in prison for the federal charges they were convicted of last year. Two other former officers previously pleaded guilty in both state and federal court. Accused Aniston gate-crasher chargedThe man who allegedly drove a car through the front gate of a Bel Air mansion that reportedly belongs to Emmy-winning actress Jennifer Aniston has been charged with stalking and vandalism. He is accused of 'repeatedly harassing the victim' by 'sending her unwanted social media, voicemail and email messages.' 3 Doors Down singer reveals cancer diagnosisBrad Arnold took to Instagram on Wednesday to share the news that doctors have diagnosed him with a form of kidney cancer. Due to his health, the band has canceled its upcoming tour. Globes expand award categoriesThe Golden Globes are adding a new category for 2026: best podcast of the year. Only the 'top 25 podcasts' will qualify for the award. 'As the world of entertainment continues to evolve, we are excited to recognize new forms of storytelling,' Golden Globes president Helen Hoehne said. Regal portrait unveiled in LondonIn a tradition dating back more than 400 years, the official coronation portrait of Britain's King Charles was made public this week. Created by English figurative painter Peter Kuhfeld, the king's portrait will join one of his wife, Queen Camilla, at the National Gallery for one month. It will then be moved to Buckingham Palace. Like father, like sonThe eldest son of soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has earned his first call-up for the Portugal Under-15 national squad. The 14-year-old Ronaldo Jr. has also taken to mimicking his dad's famous 'Siu' goal celebration, a practice that has gone viral on social media. 1,002That's how many measles cases have been reported in the US this year. The vast majority of these cases – more than 800 – are associated with an outbreak centered in West Texas that has expanded to New Mexico, Oklahoma and possibly Kansas. 'I've never asked for a meeting with any president and I never will. I wouldn't do that. There's never a reason for me to ask for a meeting. It's always been the other way.' — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, during a post-meeting press conference Wednesday, after the central bank announced its decision to hold interest rates steady. President Trump has repeatedly berated and threatened to fire Powell if he doesn't lower rates. Check your local forecast here>>> A pat on the back for everyonePolice in Tampa, Florida, saved the life of a toddler who was choking on a tomato.
