Creative Australia has announced the artist and curator for the country’s pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2026. Multidisciplinary artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino will represent the country at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.
Sabsabi is a multidisciplinary artist whose decades-long practice works with communities and cultures across Australia and beyond in a variety of mediums. The artist views his practice as a tool through which humans can come together and communicate through shared experiences and a familiar language. Sabsabi’s artwork delves into themes of politics, identity, beliefs and the human experience.
Sabsabi was born in Tripoli before migrating to Australia in 1977 due to the civil war in Lebanon. He has previously participated in the 21st Biennale of Sydney (2018), Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art in 2018, 3rd Kochi Muziris Biennale (2016), 1st Yinchaun Biennale (2016), 5th Marrakech Biennale (2014), 9th Shanghai Biennale (2013), Sharjah Biennial 11 (2013) and the 18th Biennale of Sydney (2012)
Sabsabi and Dagostino collaboration for the 61st Venice Biennale will serve as a tool to reflect the diversity of Australian culture on the global stage, while encouraging reflection on the plurality of cultures worldwide. Dagostino is currently the director of the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney and founding director of Parramatta Artists Studios.
Khaled Sabsabi said in a press release: “We acknowledge and recognise First Nations cultural and linguistic diversity that has existed on these lands for thousands of years. Our collaboration is informed by our common lived experiences and work histories, as migrants and children of migrants. We trust in the culturally diverse voices of Western Sydney and Australia more broadly and the lessons they may offer in negotiations of global futures.”
Dagostino is currently the director of the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney and founding director of Parramatta Artists Studios.
The 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia will take place from April – November 2026
Note: Khaled Sabsabi was reinstated following the cancellation of his selection.
