Khaled Sabsabi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965 (age 59–60) |
| Citizenship | Australian |
| Education | Master of Fine Arts |
| Alma mater | University of New South Wales |
| Known for | Contemporary art, video installations |
| Notable work | Naqshbandi Greenacre engagement (2011) Gates of Light (2014) |
| Awards | Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Scholarship (2010) Blake Prize for Religious Art (2011) |
Khaled Sabsabi (born 1965) is a Lebanese-born Australian artist based in Sydney, especially known for his video installations. His work, executed in many different media, often incorporates themes of Islam and Arab identity in Australia, along with exploration of spirituality and multiculturalism, and has been exhibited nationally and internationally since 1999. He is known for his multimedia and site-specific installations. He came to wider public notice in February 2025 after being selected, along with curator Michael Dagostino, to represent Australia in the Australian pavilion at the 2025 Venice Biennale, before the decision was rescinded by Creative Australia around a week later, causing a large backlash that has been widely covered by news media.
Khaled Sabsabi was born in 1965 in Tripoli, Lebanon. [1] He left Tripoli with his family in late 1976, [2] [3] during the Lebanese Civil War, and has lived and worked in the western suburbs of Sydney since then. [4] [5] [6] His parents ran a video shop and music business that specialised in Arabic music. [3]
As a teen in the 1980s, [7] Sabsabi was a hip hop performer known as Peacefender, [8] and was exposed to and influenced by the activist Malcolm X. [7] He was a fan of Prince and funk music, as well as hip hop artists such as Eric B & Rakim and Public Enemy. He performed music through to the 1990s. He also became interested in film, and after moving to visual art, continued to incorporate music and film in his work. [2]
Khaled holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of New South Wales. [9]
Sabsabi's artistic work has often incorporated themes of Islam and Arab identity, along with stereotypes associated with these identities in Australia. [4] [7]
His work is informed by the trauma of war and having to leave his country, and other themes that recur in his work include multiculturalism, Sufism, [7] and other faith systems. His work features various religions' symmetries, symbols, and forms, along with their histories and relationships to culture and place. He also expresses the importance of faiths in fostering understanding between peoples and, on the other hand to cause conflict; but also, the parts they play in people's everyday lives. [1] When asked to select artists in the Art Gallery of NSW in whose work he has found similarities and inspiration, he chose Gordon Bennett, Brook Andrew, Hossein Valamanesh, and Mona Hatoum. [10]
He works across different media, from acrylic paint and oil sticks on paper to large immersive installations which include sound, scents, and video. [7]
In 2002, Sabsabi travelled back to Lebanon for an extended stay, which he says "became a significant moment in my creative career, forcing me to question, reflect and redefine my philosophical perspective and contemporary visual arts practice". [6] Sabsabi visited Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Morocco several times, as well as China, Cyprus, Germany, Holland, Malaysia, Poland, and Sharjah and Dubai in the UAE. [11]
He works out of a converted garage in the Sydney suburb of Green Valley. [12]
In 2022, Sabsabi withdrew from the Sydney Festival, along with around 20 other artists, in protest against its sponsorship deal with the Israeli embassy, which led to receiving threatening messages from anonymous people. [7] Sabsabi has said "I genuinely believe that we need to exist and coexist". [7]
His work has been exhibited both in Australia and internationally. From September to November 2024, the most significant exhibition of his work so far premiered at The Lock-Up in Newcastle, New South Wales, called Khaled Sabsabi, while he was artist-in-residence there. It featured works produced over nearly 20 years, including works never seen by the public. [2]
On 7 February 2025, Creative Australia announced that Sabsabi had been selected, along with curator Michael Dagostino, to represent Australia in the Australian pavilion at the 2025 Venice Biennale. The choice was made by five independent experts who first shortlisted of six artists, before selecting the successful candidate. Sabsabi said that he was somewhat "shocked" to be chosen, because of "who I am", [13] but was very honoured by the selection. [7] Dagostino is a champion of western Sydney artists who was director of Campbelltown Arts Centre for 11 years before being appointed director of Chau Chak Wing Museum, part of the University of Sydney, in 2023. [3] [14] CEO Adrian Collette said Sabsabi's and Dagostino's work "reflects the diversity and plurality of Australia's rich culture, and will spark meaningful conversations with audiences around the world". [7] The announcement was made at Parramatta Artists Studio in Granville, and celebrated by western Sydney artists. [12] Sabsabi said that his work would be "an inclusive place... It’s a place to bring people together. I like to use the word 'nurturing'... it will most probably consist of multimedia". [3]
On 11 February 2025 The Australian newspaper published an article written by Yoni Bashan and Nick Evans, entitled "Arts council takes creative approach to racism", which was republished on Facebook by the Australian Jewish Association the following day. [15] [a] The authors had apparently discovered Sabsabi's 2007 video installation You, featuring the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, [13] and a 2006 work referencing the September 11 attacks, [5] [b] and criticised the selection of the artist on the basis of these works, without providing context in their descriptions of these works. [15] [13] [5] Against a background of recent incidents of antisemitism in Australia, shadow arts minister Claire Chandler suggested in parliament that the Albanese government was to blame for "allowing a person who highlights a terrorist leader in his artwork to represent Australia on the international stage at the Venice Biennale". [13] [5] Foreign minister Penny Wong said she was unaware of the announcement, but agreed that "any glorification" of Nasrallah was inappropriate. Arts minister Tony Burke rang Creative Australia CEO Adrian Collette, who said that they were having a board meeting that night, Burke affirming later that he had offered his support regardless of the organisation's decision. [17]
In a late-night meeting on 13 February, the board of Creative Australia board decided to revoke the commission, in an unprecedented move. [13] The decision was described as unanimous; however Larissa Behrendt was not present at the meeting. [18] They issued a statement saying "The Board believes a prolonged and divisive debate about the 2026 selection outcome poses an unacceptable risk to public support for Australia's artistic community and could undermine our goal of bringing Australians together through art and creativity". [19] The Australian later said that the two works mentioned in their paywalled article "were at least ambiguous in their suggestion of any support for either [Nasrallah or the 9/11 attack]". [20]
The artist and creator have asked for privacy, saying that the reversal of the decision has left them personally and professionally traumatised. [18]
The move led to significant backlash in the arts community, [8] [21] [12] including:
The Sydney Morning Herald published an article by Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, in which she criticised the decision and gave examples of displays of other controversial artworks, writing "It is rarely the public that complains – controversy is driven by the media". [20] Callum Morton, who represented Australia at Venice in 2007, said that he had "never seen the level of unity and anger as this" among artists. [21] Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young called for an inquiry into how the decision was made and how much it cost. [21]
However, Creative Australia staff were told by chair Robert Morgan and CEO Adrian Collette on 20 February 2025 that the withdrawal decision would not be revised. [28]
Sabsabi and Dagostini issued a statement on Instagram expressing their disappointment, saying "art should not be censored as artists reflect the times they live in", and that they hoped to be able to present their work on a global platform. [29] Artist Ben Quilty has pointed out that at the time that You was created in 2007, Nasrallah was regarded as "a legitimate political leader in the Middle East", and Hezbollah was not designated a proscribed terrorist organisation in Australia until 2021. There have been no complaints received by the MCA, where it was exhibited. [12]
Sabsabi has worked as a community arts worker in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. [8]
In Western Sydney, he has worked with communities to create and develop arts programs and projects exploring "the complexities of place, displacement, identity and ideological differences associated with migrant experiences and marginalisation". [1]
Since 2021 [30] and as of February 2025 [update] Sabsabi is on the board of the Biennale of Sydney. [9]
With regard to the Israeli-Hamas conflict, he has said that the violence and destruction in Gaza was "inhumane and unacceptable"; however, he supports peace "and the possibility of that dream". [12]
Sabsabi was awarded a Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Scholarship in 2010, [31] and has also been awarded an Australia Council for the Arts Community Cultural Development Fellowship. [32]
Sabsabi's 2011 work Naqshbandi Greenacre engagement was awarded the Blake Prize for Religious Art – the first time this prize had been given to a work representing an aspect of Islamic faith. [1]
In 2024 he was invited to be artist-in-residence at The Lock-Up in Newcastle. [2]
Kon Gouriotis, in an essay about Sabsabi's work 40,000 Veils, said "Sabsabi's interpretation of the Prophet is a transgressive view. It falls somewhere between being a respectful witness and an outsider to Islamic teaching". [11]
Media artist and academic John Gillies described Sabsabi as "a thoughtful and peaceful person", and his selection for Venice was praised by Nicholas Tsoutas, former head of Sydney gallery Artspace. [8]
Significant works include:
Sabsabi has exhibited in Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, New Zealand, Poland, and Spain; these include New Media Fest, Soundlab, Beirut Arts Festival, the Monographic Sample of Art Average Colombia, and 3rd Digital Art Festival in Argentina and Italy. [32]
Sabsabi's work in held in several private and public collections, including: [1]