The Algorithm Age

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 wer...

Swimming is not a rite of passage for most multicultural women living in Australia. While children born in Australia are likely to be exposed to swimming lessons as toddlers, and again throughout school, that is not the norm for women such as Tira Avery, who moved from Thailand to Australia almost a decade ago. After getting married, Ms Avery settled in Gippsland in eastern Victoria and soon realised a life in the country meant being around lots of water. "My husband loves to go camping near rivers," she said. "If I would like to join my husband [camping], it's better for me to know how to look after myself before help arrives if I happened to be drowning." In Victoria, people born overseas are five times more likely to drown than people born in the state. That was why Ms Avery signed up for multicultural women's swimming lessons at the Warragul Leisure Centre along with 19 other women from her multicultural frie...