The decision followed an attack on his work by The Australian newspaper, flagship of the Murdoch media empire, and questions in Parliament by opposition arts spokesperson Claire Chandler.

The next day the art world reacted in fury.

Michael Dagostino & Khaled Sabsabi

Khaled Sabsabi and his curator Michael Dagostino, CEO of Sydney University’s Chau Chak Wing Museum, reacted immediately saying they were “extremely hurt and disappointed” and that “art should not be censored as artists reflect the times they live in”.

Mr Sabsabi has worked as a video artist for more than three decades and is widely collected and exhibited nationally and internationally.

The Museum of Contemporary Art describes his work as exploring “the complexities of place, displacement, identity and ideological differences associated with migrant experiences and marginalisation”.

All five artists shortlisted with Sabsabi demanded his reinstatement. In an open letter to the board, they wrote that his removal was “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”.

Creative Australia’s head of visual arts Mikala Tai and program manager Tahmina Maskinyar both resigned in protest and a number of staff walked out.

Philanthropist Simon Mordant resigned as international ambassador for the event, saying it was “a very dark day for the arts”.

Artist and board member Lindy Lee also resigned and Penelope Benton, executive director of the National Association for the Visual Arts, called the decision “deeply troubling”.

The work which has so exercised the Duttonites and Murdochites is a 2007 video, You, in which the artist uses an image of assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah speaking in 2006 after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon was repulsed.

Most of Mr Sabsabi’s works brings together global events and daily life to enhance understanding of diverse cultures.

When he was selected for the Venice Biennale role, Sabsabi said that of course artists of Middle Eastern origin are affected by the conflict there. “How can you not be affected when you have family, when you have friends there? As a human being, as a Lebanese, as an Arab, as a Muslim, as an Australian, what’s been happening is inhumane and unacceptable.

“This violence, destruction cannot be sustained,” he said. “We need a way forward for all of us to co-exist and to respect the rights of Palestinian people and their right of return to their lands and culture.”

Serious arts writers have long taken Sabsabi’s work seriously. Reviewing a 2020 exhibition of Sabsabi’s work at the Art Gallery of NSW, Gina Fairley wrote on the website ArtsHub: “It speaks of collected beliefs and humanity at a time when we need to be empathetic and accepting.”

Not the kind of work, then, that goes down well with Dutton’s shadow arts minister, Senator Claire Chandler. She claims that Sabsabi has “repeatedly depicted terrorists and terrorist acts in his work”.

So art should not encompass images that aim to increase our understanding of the violence in the world? Who’s next on her hit list – Picasso? Goya?

You would once have thought that a Labor Government would rebuff such crude attacks on culture from the opposition. You would once have thought that Arts Minister Tony Burke, who likes to be seen as the acceptable face of Labor realpolitik, would step up to the mark.

Burke said he was “shocked” to see images from the two videos. He also said that it was right to review Sabsabi’s selection.

Burke claims to have had nothing to do with either the appointment or its reversal. But this is the government’s peak body for the arts. The minister has a say.

What Burke needs to do now is act in the spirit of the Australia Council’s original mission – “to enrich the lives of Australians and their communities” – and ensure Sabsabi’s reinstatement.

In its statement announcing the dumping of the artist, the board said it “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”.

It’s disturbing to see Creative Australia being dragged into line by a chain of command that stretches back to Washington and Tel Aviv. The US decides that Nasrallah is a terrorist, so not only can he be assassinated, but his very image is considered a threat.

(You know who else they designated a terrorist? Nelson Mandela! Even for years after his release from 28-year incarceration, even after he became President of South Africa.)

Make no mistake, right-wing interference in the Venice Biennale appointment is designed to intimidate and silence artists and others who have spoken out against genocide by the Zionist Israeli state against Palestinians and its violations of international law in Lebanon and elsewhere.

But artists cannot be silenced about what is taking place in the world, and Australian arts bodies must not be dragged into the sordid practice of toeing the government line.

Judith White BA (Hons), BPhil (Oxon) is a former arts editor of The Sun-Herald and a former executive director of the Art Gallery Society of NSW