Category: 5. Entertainment

Creative Australia’s decision earlier this year to rescind the selection of artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino as Australia’s 2026 representatives at the Venice Biennale sent shockwaves through the arts sector.

For many artists and arts workers, it reinforced concerns around participation and access for those from culturally and racially diverse backgrounds.

This week’s reinstatement of the artistic team offers some comfort. However, the entire incident has reinforced that, while diversity in the arts is celebrated, inclusion at the highest level can’t be taken for granted.

Some worrying stats

Our 2024 survey of more than 900 visual and craft artists, and visual arts workers (who we define as workers who support the visual arts sector), revealed several concerning findings in relation to opportunity and inclusion for culturally and racially diverse creatives.

The first key finding was more than 67% of artists and 78% of arts workers felt there were cultural and/or access-related barriers to them participating in the sector.

The second was culturally diverse workers in the sector tended to identify as “early career” rather than “established”. This points to challenges for career progression and, in turn, to systemic and structural barriers to career development.

Of all the people we surveyed, 17% of visual artists and 20% of visual arts workers reported being of a culturally diverse background. Of these, only 15% of artists and 14% of arts workers reported being at an “established” career stage.

By contrast, among the general population of artists (including those without a diverse background), 30% of the artists reported being “established” in their careers, along with 26% of arts workers.

Art shouldn’t be at the behest of politics

Issues around political censorship and cultural bias in the sector were not a focus of our survey, which was conducted nine months after the war in Gaza began, and before Creative Australia’s selection (and swift cancellation) of the 2026 Venice Biennale team.

Nonetheless, respondents were concerned their political views, and/or their cultural or racial background, could impact their likelihood of advancing a career in the sector.

Some respondents explained if they were no longer working as an artist or arts worker in five years’ time, it would most likely be due to “systemic discrimination” and “increasing censorship prevalent in this industry”.

According to an independent review into the Sabsabi decision (and its reversal):

While no formal assessment was undertaken, it is clear that there was a general awareness within Creative Australia, among those with knowledge of the selected Artistic Team, that the decision had the potential to be controversial. The Panel heard that, at the time, the decision was described as ‘bold’ or ‘courageous’. 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, rather than because of the proposed nature of the work to be undertaken at the 2026 Venice Biennale.

Entrenched harmful biases

Sadly, the negative response from politicians to the initial selection of Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino gave credibility to our respondents’ concerns.

One participant told us “being called Ahmed* is a bit of a disadvantage given the international situation”.

Another said “only certain cultures and political plights are given support”.

Financial security is also potentially at risk. As one respondent explained, the main barrier to their personal financial security were political values. “My work is at risk when governments change,” they said.

Artists and arts workers from culturally and racially diverse backgrounds also reported more significant impacts from the cost-of-living crisis, along with poorer mental health and work-life balance.

Importantly, our findings don’t stand in isolation. Similar issues have been identified by Diversity Arts Australia, who in 2022 reported on the significant negative impacts of the pandemic on First Nations artists and artists of colour.

Also, in 2021, Creative Australia reported on problems around inclusion and access for culturally diverse communities in the arts and cultural sector.

What might progress look like?

Our research involved making a number of policy recommendations to tackle these issues.

For one thing, there is a clear need for organisational change. On this front, arts organisations and employers should invest in cultural competency training for all staff and board members. They should also prioritise professional development and career growth for culturally and racially diverse staff.

To drive meaningful change, funding incentives should be introduced to support diverse leadership. This should include higher pay for culturally and/or racially diverse leaders whose backgrounds lead them to having added responsibility in the workplace.

The sector also needs greater transparency around cultural and racial representation in staffing and leadership roles, including board roles. This will promote accountability and help drive cultural change.

Finally, success for artists from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds requires the Australian art world to engage with multiple world views – and understand not all art will be immediately accessible to all audiences.

The controversy surrounding Creative Australia’s biennale backflip offers an opportunity for the visual arts sector to reckon with deep and troubling issues of structural inequity, along with broader questions of free expression – especially in a fraught political climate.

These issues are wider than the art world. But what better place to start?

*Name changed to protect identity.

Rita Ora found Beyonce to be a “protector” in her corner when she became a target for Jay-Z cheating rumours.

The 34-year-old songstress opened up about the time she was speculated to be “Becky with the good hair,” the woman involved in Jay-Z’s cheating rumours around the time when Beyonce released her album, Lemonade.

The For You hitmaker shared that it was Queen Bey herself who emerged as her protector during the “messy situation,” during her appearance on the latest episode of Begin Again with Davina McCall podcast.

After the host brought up the controversy, which was touched upon in Beyonce’s song, Sorry, Ora responded that she has been “affected worse” by other things.

“Because it wasn’t real,” she said of the “Becky with the good hair” drama, “I wish I had good hair.”

Ora continued, “None of that was real. That was the first time I experienced what it means to be in a messy situation, I guess.”

She revealed that all throughout the scandal, “behind closed doors,” Beyonce was her “fairy godmother.”

“She was my protector. That’s what’s insane because there was nothing but love. And, you know, again, being signed to JAY-Z, her husband, she being my biggest inspiration, she came to my first show in New York at The Box,” she said.

The Big singer went on to add, “I was actually genuinely upset because that’s my big sister protector. She took it upon herself to really look after me. And I still see her to this day and she’s always been so, so nice and proud, checking in on my family and friends that I’ve had since childhood and remembering their names.” 

The acting chair of Creative Australia has apologised to Khaled Sabsabi and his curator Michael Dagostino for the “hurt and pain” caused by the decision to rescind their Venice Biennale commission, and said their artworks had been “mischaracterised”.

Wesley Enoch, who took over from a retiring Robert Morgan three months after the then chair told a Senate estimates hearing he would not be resigning over the controversy, apologised to Sabsabi and Dagostino live on air on Thursday, telling ABC RN the artist’s work was not about the glorification of terrorism, as suggested in parliament in February.

“Those who mischaracterise the work aren’t being honest to the intention of the work or the practice that this artist has, who is an incredibly peace-loving artist in the way that they construct their images,” he said.

“To Khaled and Michael – I’ve done it in person, but to say it here very publicly, I want to apologise to them for the hurt and pain they’ve gone through in this process.”

An independent external review by Blackhall & Pearl into Creative Australia’s actions in cancelling Sabsabi’s commission found there was no single or predominant failure of process, governance or decision that had occurred, but there were “a series of missteps, assumptions and missed opportunities that meant neither the leadership of Creative Australia, nor the board, were well placed to respond to, and manage in a considered way, any criticism or controversy that might emerge in relation to the selection decision”.

The report did not go as far as to list among its nine recommendations the reinstatement of Sabsabi and Dagostino.

The arts minister, Tony Burke, said on Wednesday he had told Creative Australia’s chief executive Adrian Collette last week that he would support whatever decision the organisation made in the wake of the report’s release.

But the Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said although the decision to reinstate Sabsabi and Dagostino was the right one, it was “a terrible day for the board and CEO of Creative Australia who have disgraced themselves throughout this ordeal”.

“It is clear that the leadership of Creative Australia needs a clean out in order to rebuild trust within the artistic community and the Australian public,” she said in a statement.

Also calling for Creative Australia and Burke to “explain themselves” over the backflip was the Liberal MP and shadow minister for the arts, Julian Leeser, who told ABC RN on Thursday that there was “nothing in the report [that] suggested that they needed to remake that decision”.

“One of the reasons that [Creative Australia] made their decision back in February to withdraw this is because they were concerned about issues in relation to the broader Australian community,” he said.

“I believe those issues continue to remain, and I believe that Creative Australia should not have unmade their decision that they previously made back in February to withdraw Mr Sabsabi from this exhibition,” he said, adding that Burke needed to explain “how at this time, with this antisemitism crisis that Australia has faced, where we’re a multicultural country, why this particular artist who has this particular history is being chosen to represent our country at this time and receive taxpayer funding to do so”.

Sabsabi and Dagostino welcomed the reversal of the decision on Wednesday, saying “it offers a sense of resolution and allows us to move forward with optimism and hope after a period of significant personal and collective hardship”.

Philanthropist and prominent arts advocate Simon Mordant resigned as Australia’s International Ambassador for the 2026 Venice Biennale after the announcement of Sabsabi and Dagostino’s removal. The resignation ended 30 years of active involvement in the Biennale, including two previous terms as commissioner and leader of the fundraising drive for the new Australian Pavilion in Venice.

On Wednesday Mordant confirmed that the pair’s reinstatement had led to his re-acceptance of the role, and described Creative Australia’s decision as “a watershed moment for the Australian arts community, whereby we can work towards eliminating any form of racism including antisemitism across the arts industries”.

“I am confident that the work presented will reflect the highest artistic standards and align with the values I have always upheld – integrity, inclusion, and respect,” he said, going on to reaffirm his position on upholding ethical boundaries in artistic representation.

“I would never knowingly support an artist or art that glorifies terrorism, racism or antisemitism or went against my values,” he said.

The chief executive of the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) Penelope Benton, who was highly critical of Creative Australia’s initial decision to cancel the commission, said despite the “messy turn of events”, Creative Australia’s willingness to admit it had got it wrong would go a long way to renewing trust in the transparency and integrity of Australia’s principal arts funding body.

“Artistic freedom and independent decision-making are fundamental to the role of a national arts body,” she said.

Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr still feels as young as a 24-year-old.

The rocker, who turns 85 on July 7, opened up on Wednesday about his milestone birthday.

“It blows me away. I look in the mirror and I’m 24. I never got older than 24,” Starr told the New York Times.

Starr indicated that the secret to his vitality is his passion for the drums.

“I love what I’m doing. When I first started… my mother would come to the gigs. She would always say, ‘You know, son, I always feel you’re at your happiest when you’re playing your drums.’ So she noticed. And I do,” he said. “I love to hit those buggers.”

Starr also noted that he enjoys spontaneity.

“I live in the now,” he said. “I didn’t plan any of it. I love that life I’m allowed to live.”

On the work front, Starr released a country album Look Up in January. In another recent admission, Starr hinted that he may be far from retiring despite frequent considerations.

“Sometimes when I finish a tour, I’m like, ‘That’s the end for me.’ And all my children say, ‘Oh, Dad, you’ve told us that for the last 10 years.’ And they get fed up with me,” Starr told People Magazine in March.

“I do feel, ‘Oh, that’s got to be enough,’ and then I get a phone call: ‘We’ve got a few gigs if you’re interested.’ Okay, we’re off again!”