An exhibition that includes works by Lebanese Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi It will be open to the public next week, and the university announced it has reversed its decision.

Monash University’s “delayed” Storon Press: Flat Earth at the Melbourne Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA), after Sabu Sabi was abandoned as the Australian representative for the 2026 Venice Biennale. This is the first time Muma has performed in 50 years of history.

The exhibition, originally scheduled to open on May 8, includes Sabsabi’s large “spiritual” calligraphy paintings, made with Lebanese coffee and draws on his personal memory of his childhood in Lebanon during the Civil War”.

During the postponement, a spokesperson for Monash claimed that “consulting in consultation with our community” revealed that Muma needed to “increase its cooperation and participation in the exhibition. The postponement of the event will allow this important work.”

Sources told Guardian Australia that they were concerned about the timing that indicated the decision was influenced by the cancellation of Sabsabi by federal arts agency Creative Australia and the contract of curator Michael Dagostino. The decision comes as pressure from Australian newspapers and liberal politicians on videos of Sabsabi’s use of 9/11 terrorist attacks and videos of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in old works.

Sabsabi participated in a massive boycott of the 2022 Sydney Music Festival sponsored by the Israeli Embassy, ​​and Australians were also selected to approve more broadly the actions of Israeli public figures in Gaza or public figures published by Israel after Israel began Israeli.

Sabsabi has been strongly rejecting any claim that his work promotes anti-Semitism or terrorism, calling the suggestion “disgusting.” Thousands of artists and art experts have called for Creative Australia to reverse its decision.

On Thursday, Monash University confirmed Storon Press: Flat Earth will open in Muma on May 29, saying it "delayed …and consulted with Monash's students and community at the same time."

"The university ended its engagement process with relevant staff and students, which allowed us to consider a range of perspectives before the exhibition," Monash said in a statement.

“The University recognizes that Storon Press’s work is the exhibition Flatland and its patient curator and, when consulting the University, ensures that the exhibition is conducted in a manner and spirit originally planned by Storon Press.”

So far, Monash has not detailed the reasons why he needs to consult or why the 18-month exhibition needs to be postponed.

The exhibition was curated collectively by Simryn Gill and Tom Melick's Sydney art and publishing, Stolon Press, and also features the work of writer and anthropologist Elisa Taber.

A few days after the flat earth was cancelled, Sabsabi told Australia’s decision that Australia’s decision was to “demolish” his career and influence his well-being.

“No one has to go through this torture,” he said. “It’s unfair, it’s recommended by Creative Australia and those who make the decision…it’s essentially a definition of me as someone I’m not.”

Creative Australia said it fired Sabsabi and Dagostino to avoid "long-term and divisive debate" - but the decision sparked a backlash in the art world, as well as a broader conversation about public figures not only criticizing Israeli lists, but even those who support Palestinians.