Arts news watch: this week’s trending topics

Creative Australia reinstates Khaled Sabsabi, authors join AI backlash, regional funding discrimination, and more.
A neon sign with the text ‘NEWS’ hanging on a thin pole in front of an arched doorway. There are soft blue and purple lights illuminating the space.

Each Saturday, we summarise ArtsHub’s most-read stories of the week in order to bring you up to speed with the latest arts news you may have missed. Here are the news stories – both industry oriented and public facing – reviews and career articles that caught our readers’ eyes over the last seven days.

This week’s top arts news stories

Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino reinstated as 2026 Venice Biennale creatives

Following months of backlash, resignations and an external review, Creative Australia has finally made the decision to recommission Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino.

Lindy Lee reveals driving forces behind Venice Biennale Board meeting decision 

Former Creative Australia Board member Lindy Lee has revealed new details of the fateful Board meeting that kicked off the Venice Biennale controversy.

Australian writers join global AI backlash over scraped writing

As legal battles envelop the US, Australian writers are finding their voices in solidarity, with clear calls for consent, compensation and protection of creative integrity.

Regional galleries ‘not sexy enough’ for funding

Disproportionate funding discriminates against regional access to the arts in NSW.

More arts news

Top reviews for the week

ArtsHub uses a five-star rating system. These are the week’s most read reviews from around the country:

Exhibition review: Kimono, NGV International ★★★1/2

The enduring allure of kimonos through a chronological timeline.

Theatre review: Coriolanus, The Neilson Nutshell ★★★★

A lesser-performed Shakespeare play still bears relevance to today.

Book review: Autocorrect, Etgar Keret ★★★1/2

Etgar Keret is back with 33 short stories about life, the universe and everything in between.

More recent reviews

Career and education chatter this week

Is self-belief or self-doubt the key to making great art?

Four artists known for their ambitious projects share the emotions behind their creative process.

More careers articles

Video spotlight

Have you checked out our Education and Student News landing page? It’s a great feature to make it easier to find career stories.

Celina Lei is ArtsHub's Content Manager. She has previously worked across global art hubs in Beijing, Hong Kong and New York in both the commercial art sector and art criticism. She took part in drafting NAVA’s revised Code of Practice - Art Fairs and was the project manager of ArtsHub’s diverse writers initiative, Amplify Collective. Celina is based in Naarm/Melbourne. Instagram @lleizy_