Monash University’s postponement of exhibition featuring Khaled Sabsabi undermines artistic and academic freedom
Media Release
The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) and the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) Monash branch condemn Monash University’s decision to postpone Flat Earth, an exhibition by collective Stolon Press featuring artist Khaled Sabsabi and writer Elisa Taber, just weeks after Sabsabi was removed as Australia’s representative at the 2026 Venice Biennale.
“This is a devastating blow to artistic and academic freedom and the integrity of our public institutions,” said Penelope Benton, Executive Director of NAVA. “Khaled Sabsabi is a highly respected, award-winning artist whose decades-long practice is grounded in spirituality, peace and community. The works Sabsabi was to present at MUMA are quiet, meditative and deeply human - there is nothing inflammatory about them.”
“This decision appears to be based not on the work itself, but on assumptions made about the artist in the wake of Creative Australia’s withdrawal of his Venice commission, following media and political misrepresentation. When institutions allow such pressure to influence their decisions, it undermines trust and harms the very people they are meant to support.”
“When institutions censor staff, students or artists to avoid political backlash, they erode the foundations of artistic and academic freedom. This is not isolated to Australia, similar pressures are escalating globally, including in the U.S., where threats to university funding, like those directed at Columbia, highlight the growing cost of institutional silence. The danger isn’t looming, it’s already here.”
The decision follows other recent actions by Monash that raise alarm, including the removal of the right to student protest without consultation with student organisations. Dr Ben Eltham, NTEU Monash Branch President, stated, “This decision tears at the fabric of free expression at our university.”
“We can’t believe we have to say this: a university censoring its own art gallery is a really bad idea.”
“Monash’s own Act of Parliament says it exists to enrich cultural life and promote free enquiry. This decision does the opposite – it attacks those values and impoverishes Australian public life.”
"In September last year, Vice-Chancellor Pickering told the Senate she had an 'abiding commitment to academic freedom and freedom of speech.' Where is that abiding commitment now?"
NAVA and the NTEU Monash branch stand in solidarity with the staff of the Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA) and urge the university to reinstate Flat Earth without delay. In a democratic society, artistic and academic freedom must not be sacrificed to fear, misinformation, or political and media pressure.
Creative Australia is scheduled to appear at Senate Estimates this evening. NAVA again calls for clarity and accountability on decisions that are impacting the careers and safety of artists and curators alike — and for the reinstatement of Khaled Sabsabi as Australia’s artist for the 2026 Venice Biennale.
Media Enquiries
Leya Reid
media@visualarts.net.au
About NAVA
The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) is a Membership organisation that brings together the many voices of the contemporary arts sector to improve fundamental conditions of work and practice. We do this through advocacy, education and the Code of Practice. For further information on NAVA visit www.visualarts.net.au
Image credit
Stolon Press, in or as if in a deep sleep 2025 (process image). Courtesy of the artists.
ID: Two film photographs, each showing a parked semi-truck with a long, weathered wooden trailer. The images are presented in a film strip format, marked with "KODAK 200" along the borders. The truck, mostly orange and white, is parked on grass with trees and power lines in the background.
