Khaled Sabsabi’s multimedia installation on show in Australian pavilion at the Venice Biennale
Venetian: Australia has opened its pavilion at the world’s largest arts festival following a political storm over the artist chosen to represent the country, and the result is a fascinating study in reception.
Visitors entered the dark pavilion at the Venice Biennale to encounter a multimedia installation of vibrant colors inspired by the poetry of a Sufi mystic.
Artist Khaled Sabsabi describes the work as searching for the “innermost part of the heart” using images that slowly appear on eight screens under a bright white light.
International media saw the work for the first time during the “pre-opening” phase of the Biennale on Tuesday; Hundreds of visitors saw the installation and some shared videos on social media.
They also saw a supporting work in the main exhibition of the biennial; This was the result of a pivotal decision by the event’s curator, Koyo Kouoh, to ensure Sabsabi was represented following last year’s controversy in which the artist’s invitation to represent Australia in Venice was canceled and later reinstated.
Art curator Elizabeth Ann Macgregor described Sabsabi’s work in a separate exhibition at the Arsenale as “astonishing” and “striking” when she saw it and shared it on Instagram on Tuesday.
While the Australian pavilion is funded by the federal government, this year’s exhibition has also been supported by a long list of philanthropists, including private donors led by investor and philanthropist Simon Mordant and the Turnbull Foundation, founded by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and former Sydney Mayor Lucy Turnbull.
In the description of the work distributed to visitors of the mansion, Sabsabi writes that he was inspired by a poem from the 12th century: Conference of the BirdsWritten by Sufi mystic Farid-al-din Attar, which chronicles his journey of self-discovery.
“Truth is not something you find; it is something you are ready to see,” he says in his notes. The work prepared in the biennial based on poetry is called “self-conference”.
The country’s flagship arts body, Creative Australia, selected Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostini to represent the country early last year, but rescinded the decision just days after the announcement following a media storm over a work Sabsabi created almost two decades ago.
In his 2007 work, Sabsabi included a video of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese militia group Hezbollah, which is listed as a terrorist group in Australia. In the statement made at that time, it was stated that light evocative of “divine illumination” was used around Nasrallah.
When this triggered media criticism and questions in federal parliament from Liberal Senator Clare Chandler, the top arts body moved to cancel the election.
Sabsabi said this tag Have a nice weekend magazine last month stated that the 2007 video was about the “power of propaganda.” Instead of glorifying Hezbollah.
“I have always, always, always personally said that hate and violence will only lead to more hate and violence,” he said.
The Australian pavilion was a relatively quiet corner of the Biennale, amid anger over the larger exhibition size and whether Russia and Israel should be allowed to participate.
The Biennale insisted that Russia be allowed to exhibit despite the war in Ukraine, triggering the resignation of the jury intended to select the best works from 100 national representatives; because jurors wanted to exclude countries that committed crimes against humanity.
While visitors enjoyed drinks to celebrate the participation, the Russian pavilion featured great dance music before the opening. But the victory was symbolic because the exhibition will not remain open after the first days of the event.
The Israeli pavilion appeared to be closed due to a dispute with the jury. Israel is accused of war crimes in Gaza, but denies this and insists it was defending itself against Hamas, which launched an attack on Israeli civilians in October 2023.
The organizers of the biennial did not exclude Israel from the event, despite the attitude of the jury members.
With the jury gone, the decision on the winner of the biennial’s top prize, the Golden Lion (won by Australia’s Archie Moore in 2024), is replaced by popular voting by visitors for the best exhibitor of the main exhibition and the best representative of the national pavilions.
Biennale curator Kouoh chose Sabsabi and Dagostino for the event’s main exhibition after they were dropped by Creative Australia. Kouoh passed away in May last year, but his team continued to prepare the biennial without him.
As a result, Sabsabi and Dagostino gain the honor of being featured both in the main exhibition of the biennial and in their country’s national pavilion.
Only three artists have achieved this in the history of the biennial, which was founded in 1895.
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David Crowe is the European correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect with: X or email.
