Artist Seeking to Give Muslim Migrants A Voice Wins Creative Australia Visual Arts Award
When Khaled asked Sydney's Muslim community to show him their family heirlooms, he was not expecting a "mind-blowing" collection of 1,300-year-old manuscripts.
The private collection of Quranic texts put together over 20 years surpassed those of museums — yet it was just in a private home in the suburbs.
"The amount of manuscripts that this person has in their private collection would go beyond, in terms of number value, all the collections in Australia," Sabsabi said.
The Western-Sydney-based, Lebanese-Australian visual artist is a storyteller — and he's looking for the exceptional stories in ordinary data-x-items in the homes of Muslim families.
The Moments in Waiting project hopes to bring out some of the extraordinary stories waiting to be told, but also reflect Sydney's diversity.
As well as the manuscripts, he's seen coins from as far back as 650 CE, bound Qurans from the 1500s, and handwritten letters from a soldier fighting for the Ottoman Empire.
"[To] hear their stories, and how they were sourced and what was the idea behind the collection … it's phenomenal," Sabsabi said.
Bringing these stories to the fore is the key to the work of the artist, who explores identities, celebrates diversity, and challenges ideas of what defines being Australian.
Counteracting racism through art
In 1976, an 11-year-old Khaled Sabsabi and his family fled Tripoli after the Lebanese Civil War broke out the year before.
His family settled in Sydney's western suburbs and they often faced racism.
"During that period, we encountered a lot of racism and ideas of 'fear of the other' because there would have been an influx of migrants," Sabsabi said.
"That experience also informs who I am, and the work that I do, and my passion and commitment to finding ways to break down stereotypes."
He says his work gives insights into ideas of "the other", in ways that can be seen as confronting or as validating — as he puts it, "depending on which side of the fence they sit".
One example of his work is "70,000 veils", a video installation featuring 10,000 photos played across 100 video screens showing scenes from everyday life and his travels in Australia and abroad.
He also produced "Wonderland", a two-channel video that shows a legion of Western Sydney Wanderers fans barracking for the A-League side.
"It's at the margins where the great ideas are born, not when you're comfortable and complacent," Sabsabi said.
What Western Sydney teaches the rest of the world
Moments in Waiting is a work in progress that will debut with the opening of Powerhouse Parramatta in 2025.
It's a fitting location for Sabsabi's work, which celebrates the rich diversity found in Sydney's western suburbs among migrant communities.
This cultural richness is why he continues to live in the area to this day.
He says Western Sydney is a great example for communities around the world of a future where people come together.
"I really believe in the cultural diversity and the construct of a global future of migration and displacement … whether it's environmental catastrophes or man-made catastrophes," Sabsabi said.
"Western Sydney sort of embodies that and it has something to teach the rest of the world."
Lifetime achievement recognized
Khaled Sabsabi is one of eight extraordinary Australian artists being recognized for their work with the inaugural Creative Australia Awards.
The award recognizes Sabsabi's visual artistry over his career, particularly noting his efforts to champion diversity.
Source: abc.net.au
