A Self Portrait Khaled Sabsabi

A Self Portrait Khaled Sabsabi Image: Khaled Sabsabi, corner, 2012.

Contents 3 About PICA 4 Exhibition Summary 5 Themes & Curriculum Links 6 Amalia Pica 7 Artistic Practice 8 Pre-Visit Research 9 Year 7 10 10 Year 11-12 12 Cross Curriculum Priorities & Artists to Research 14 Partners 2

About PICA Housed in a large and striking heritage building in the heart of Perth, Western Australia, PICA is the city s focal point for those wishing to experience the best of Australian and international visual, performance and interdisciplinary art. PICA is both a producing and presenting institution that runs a year-round program of changing exhibitions, seasons in contemporary dance, theatre and performance and a range of interdisciplinary projects. It boasts one of the largest and most breath-taking exhibition spaces in Australia and has become known for the leading role it plays in the presentation of significant new work. PICA s key aim is to promote, support and present contemporary arts and to stimulate critical discussion around the arts and broader cultural issues. Providing a site for experimentation, critical analysis, discussion, and debate is fundamental to its charter. PICA is known for the rigour and breadth of its artistic and education programs, high production standards and impeccable presentation. PICA is an icon of contemporary thinking it is a catalyst for innovative and groundbreaking art and culture. Not constrained by convention, PICA gives artists and audiences a glimpse of what is possible. To learn more about our coming program, or to make a booking, visit pica.org.au or call 08 9228 6300. 3

Exhibition Summary A Self Portrait Khaled Sabsabi 2018 Working across mediums, borders, cultures, and disciplines, Lebanese-Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi explores the complexities of place, identity, displacement, and ideological differences to promote cultural awareness and acceptance. Sabsabi s diverse practice includes photography, video, sound art, textiles, performance and theatre works, as well as immersive site-specific installations, often involving people on the margins of society. He has worked with communities, particularly in Western Sydney, on arts projects and programs that explore migrant experiences and marginalisation. Sabsabi sees art as an effective tool to communicate with people and question the complexities of nationhood, identity and change. A Self Portrait is the biggest survey exhibition of Sabsabi s work to date and features a new commission as well as several previously unseen works. Image: Khaled Sabsabi, A self-portrait, 2018. Image courtesy the artists and Milani Gallery, Brisbane 4

This education resource explores broad themes including; This education resource provides an overview of themes, curriculum links and ideas that can be further explored in relation to Khaled Sabsabi s work. The exhibition A Self Portrait explores broad themes, including; CULTURE and the differences / similarities between Eastern and Western histories, philosophies and spirituality, with a focus on Sufism and Islam SOCIO POLITICAL issues such as: migration, immigration and asylum; war, violence and exile; cultural dislocation and displacement; marginalisation and inequality; the artist as social critic; philosophy and ethics; and Middle Eastern and Western politics ENGLISH and languages other than English, including Arabic SCIENCE and psychology VISUAL ART styles and periods including minimalism, abstraction, conceptual art, performance art, post-modernism and new-media art, contemporary art, media production, music and sound art, the series in art LANGUAGE dialects, interpretation and text in art. CURRICULUM LINKS THE ARTS: Visual Arts, Art History, Design, Drama, Media Production & Analysis, Music ENGLISH: English, Literature, English as an additional language, Arabic HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES: Intercultural Studies, Modern & Ancient History, Geography, Philosophy & Ethics, Politics & Law, Religion & Life MATHEMATICS: Mathematical systems and formats, dimensions, scale, designs SCIENCE: Psychology TECHNOLOGIES: IT, Computer Science, Design, Materials Design & Technology 5

KHALED SABSABI Born in Tripoli, Lebanon in 1965, Khaled Sabsabi spent his early childhood in Lebanon until his family were forced to leave as a result of the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990). Sabsabi s family identify with Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam. Sufism mixes mainstream religious observances, such as prescribed daily prayers, with a range of supplementary spiritual practices. Migrating to Australia in 1978, along with approximately one million people, Sabsabi s family settled in multicultural Western Sydney, where he continues to live and work. Working alongside people from a range of social, political and ideological positions, he creates arts programs and projects that explore the complexities of place, displacement and identity. Sabsabi communicates the migrant experience and the effects of marginalisation, while promoting greater cultural awareness and acceptance. Listening to and creating Hip-Hop music soon provided a cultural refuge for Sabsabi. Identifying with the black Civil Rights movement in the United States, Sabsabi became interested in social work and supporting communities. He was employed by the Bankstown Multicultural Youth Service, becoming the first non-english speaking youth street worker in Australia. Sabsabi went on to engage directly with the community in detention centres, schools, prisons, refugee camps, hospitals and youth centres in both Lebanon and Western Sydney. Through his practice exploring fixed perceptions and misperceptions, communication and miscommunication he was able to relate to large communities in multiple contexts to become a translator of otherness. Returning to Lebanon for the first time in 2003, Sabsabi was able to reengage with the region of his birthplace and its people and now works across borders, culture and disciplines to make work that challenges extreme principles and actions. Khaled Sabsabi describes himself as a man of peace. 6

ARTISTIC PRACTICE Sabsabi s work is heavily informed by Sufi spirituality, his own experience of moving between communities and wider geopolitical factors. On display as part of A Self Portrait is corner, 2012, a 4-metre-wide hand-embroidered ritual banner or Sanjaq. Used for important outdoor Sufi ceremonies, this Sanjaq has been gifted and exhibited with permission by the Sufi community - a consultative process Sabsabi views as part of his artistic practice. The map embroidered on this Sanjaq references the interconnected Sufi orders of Sabsabi s ancestors, which are tied to two cities: Tripoli in Lebanon, where Sabsabi was born, and Danke in North Lebanon, which are both regarded as important centres for mystic Sufi orders and their histories. This work brings into focus how diverse geographies and philosophies can be linked through the movement and spiritual practice of people, and highlights the important process of meditating upon current politics and practice in the context of history. The multi-screen projection We Kill You, 2016 includes photo collage and video from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria and Western Sydney. It is inspired by the Arab Nationalism movement, which promotes the unity of Arab people, and laid foundations for the revolutionary wave of protests that occurred during the Arab Spring. Syrian poet and diplomat Nizār Qabbānī (1923-98) is a key influence, particularly a collection of his writing, Poems Against The Law (1972). The work addresses conflict and the rise of extremism and terrorism. It poetically engages with themes relating to national identity, colonialism, contemporary politics and history. guerrilla (2007-2018) presents delicately painted images on the surface of ninety-nine photographs, in the standard 4x6 inch format popularly used in family albums, which document the destruction of Beirut during the thirty-three-day war with Israel. Considered as part of a ten-year healing process, Sabsabi explains the work assisted him in coming to terms with first-hand encounters of the bombing of Beirut in 2006, and his family s displacement from Lebanon. It demonstrates Sabsabi s symbolic use of numbers, referencing the 99 names of Allah, which are a core expression of the Muslim faith taken from verses of the Qur an. A self-portrait, created during 2014-2018, also expresses the significance of number systems in his spiritual life, combining 114 individual small works, each with 7 layers of hand-cut stencils. This communicates the 7 different layers of the self, or Nafs (Arabic, Persian and Urdu), which represent the complete spiritual being in Sufi teaching, whilst also referencing the 114 chapters of the Quran. Sabsabi accepts the tension within this work, which he explores as a means of generating conversation. For instance, Sufism teaches breaking down of the self, whereas artistic expression often concerns the self. 7

PRE-VIST RESEARCH Explore Khaled Sabsabi s work online: Visit Khaled Sabsabi s website: https://khaledsabsabi.com/about to view previous works and learn about his art practice, interests and musical background in Hip Hop and Turntablism. Visit Milani Gallery s website: http://www.milanigallery.com.au/artist/khaled-sabsabi Watch a Meet the artist video of Khaled Sabsabi: https://acp.org.au/blogs/under-the-sun/khaled-sabsabi Research the cultural and religious groups, spiritual orders and languages that exist in Australia. Locate Lebanon, Beirut and Tripoli in relation to Australia. Research the history of Lebanon. Research Sufi Mysticism. Discuss and write about the difference between spirituality and religion. Visit the Blake Prize website http://www.casulapowerhouse.com/get-involved/prizes/prizes/blakeprize Image: Khaled Sabsabi, A self-portrait, 2018. Image courtesy the artists and Milani Gallery, Brisbane 8

YEARS 7-10 VISUAL ARTS I HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES MAKING Exploring, investigating and developing ideas and processes RESPONDING - Expressing personal opinions, responses, production, discerning, presenting 1. What is a portrait, and how does Khaled Sabsabi s exhibition create a self-portrait? 2. Examine and write about different media and presentation styles in Khaled Sabsabi s exhibition including 2D, 3D, video and video installation. 3. Analyse the way in which Sabsabi presents images and objects that express his culture and spirituality, and how they relate to the exhibition title A Self Portrait. For instance, consider his use of Arabic text, the Sanjaq textile object, Turkish/Persian carpet and photographs. 4. Review Sabsabi s holistic approach to self-portraiture, and create your own self-portrait without presenting representations of your physical appearance. 5. Write about and create a sequence or series of works that communicates facets of your identity across a range of media. 6. Create a photo-collage work that includes video. 7. Research and compare Sabsabi s work to other artists whose work explores identity and difference, including Amalia Pica, Abdul Abdullah, Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Ai Weiwei, Kimsooja, Christian Thompson and Cindy Sherman etc. 8. Express how the moving image is able to provide a strong visual tool for conveying meaning in art, and the way in which video art used by many artists is similar to but different from cinematic or filmic works. 9. Watch the video Meet the artist : https://acp.org.au/blogs/under-the-sun/khaled-sabsabi and view Sabsabi s visual interpretation of Max Dupain s work, Sunbaker, for Monash Gallery of Art exhibiton in 2017, Under the sun: Reimagining Max Dupain s Sunbaker. 10. Create a work of art on the theme of difference. 11. As a class, discuss views about our culture, our identity and our nationhood, reflecting on Australia s multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-faith country. Image: Khaled Sabsabi, guerilla (detail), 2007 2017.. Image courtesy the artists and Milani Gallery, Brisbane 9

YEAR 11-12 UNIT 1. DIFFERENCES 1. How effective do you think Sabsabi s work is in raising awareness of the need for greater understanding of difference and tolerance within Australian communities? Discuss and support your answer with examples of the artist s work. 2. Analyse the difference between Nationalism and Patriotism. 3. How does Sabsabi s work communicate and question the complexities of nationhood? 4. Discuss current perceptions of Islam in Australia following the 9/11 World Trade Centre attacks on Sep 11, 2001, the Invasion of Iraq in 2003, and the Cronulla Riots in Sydney in 2005. 5. What is meant by the terms legal and illegal immigrant, refugee, political refugee and asylum seeker? 6. Select examples of Sabsabi s work to discuss the notion of perception and misperception, communication and miscommunication. 7. Explore and discuss the way in which the format of a multiple or series of works strengthens meaning for the artist and increases the visual impact for the viewer. 8. Research perceptions of ideological movements and religions in Australia in relation to gender status, and express your perspective on tolerance and difference. 9. Explore the notion of prejudice, and what we mean when we speak of the other in society. 10. Discuss Khaled Sabsabi s and Amalia Pica s exhibitions and how each artist s work and art practice seeks to overcome communication barriers related to culture, religion and language. 11. Watch the video Meet the artist : https://acp.org.au/blogs/under-the-sun/khaled-sabsabi and view Sabsabi s visual interpretation of the work, Sunbaker by Max Dupain, for Monash Gallery of Art exhibiton in 2017, Under the sun: Reimagining Max Dupain s Sunbaker. Image: Khaled Sabsabi, We Kill You (video still), 2016. Image courtesy the artists and Milani Gallery, Brisbane 10

UNIT 2. IDENTITIES 1. Visit Khaled Sabsabi s website to explore how his work has changed over time, and identify the common themes that link his past and current work. 2. Describe how Sabsabi s work addresses issues surrounding communication, miscommunication and misrepresentation. 3. Explore theories surrounding expanded notions of selfhood and identity. 4. Select two works by Sabsabi and analyse them through the Visual Art Elements and Principles and Critical Analysis Frameworks (Subjective, Structural, Cultural and Postmodern) to express and examine the artist s ideas and key threads of meaning and messages. 5. Compare Khaled Sabsabi s and Amalia Pica s art practice and describe how each of the artists migrant experiences has shaped their interest in the subjects of identity and communication. 6. Create a video that explores your history and cultural background, religious or spiritual beliefs. 7. Examine how symbolism and the metaphor is intrinsic to understanding and for Sabsabi, communicating the ideas in his work, including number systems. 8. Compare Khaled Sabsabi s work to Abdul Abdullah, Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Angelica Mesiti, Kimsooja, Ai Weiwei, Lida Abdul, Christian Thompson, Cindy Sherman and George Gittoes. 9. Explore and write about how Khaled Sabsabi s and Amalia Pica s work is influenced by conceptual and postmodern approaches to art making. UNIT 3: COMMENTARIES Sabsabi does not aestheticise war, nor does he take sides, but at the core of his diverse artistic practice lies a commitment to social justice. His art reflects both his background as an immigrant Australian as well as his professional work with youth communities in Western Sydney, in which he often deals with issues of violence, racism and discrimination. 1. Discuss the notion of the artist as commentator. 2. Express your views about our culture, our identity and our nationhood, reflecting on Australia s multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-faith country. 3. Referring to work by Khaled Sabsabi, discuss and debate your responses to the artist s comments below: I make work that is in continual transfer from the local to the global, from the physical to the philosophical and back again, to interconnect the interrelatedness and cycles of daily life. The world and its people are diverse, and people s beliefs, opinions and hopes cannot be simply encapsulated into one simple statement. Centre of is about blurring the obvious by challenging dogmatic notions of representation. I see this work as a debate that can only exist with an openness of opinions. 11

UNIT 4: POINT OF VIEW 1. Express your point of view about the ideas below: The world and its people are diverse, and people s beliefs opinions and hopes cannot be simply encapsulated into one simple statement. - Khaled Sabsabi The arts can enable us to embrace difference. Exhibitions have a vital role in communicating uniquely Australian approaches to local and global issues. As an artist, Sabsabi continues to work across borders of discipline, nationality and culture to create work that challenges the passive consumption of media spectacle. Discuss and express what you think Sabsabi means in relation to the media spectacle. What do difference and the other mean in relation to Sabsabi s and Pica s work, and the diversity of cultural groups in Australia, including First Nations Australians. 2. Research your own cultural identity and history and develop an installation, painting, drawing or video that is a self-portrait exploring your country of origin and culture, spirituality, gender, history and values. Select materials that are symbolic, or a metaphor for specific meanings and messages. 3. Explore and discuss the way in which the format of multiple of works or series creates greater meaning for the artist and increases the visual impact for the viewer. 4. Analyse the self-portrait in art and how identity can be represented through a holistic representation of the self. Analyse how Sabsabi has represented his identity by expressing his culture, spirituality, values and heritage through specific objects, materials, visual formats and styles of expression. Image: Khaled Sabsabi, centre of..., 2017. Image courtesy the artists and Milani Gallery, Brisbane 12

CROSS CURRICULUM PRIORITIES Explore Australia s current engagement with the Middle East. Research and write about particular communities forced to lead a life of dislocation from their homelands as a consequence of war and political persecution including Lebanese immigrants following the Lebanese civil war. ARTISTS to research: Lida Abdul http://annaschwartzgallery.com/artists/lida-abdul/ Abdul Abdullah https://abdulabdullah.com Abdul-Rahman Abdullah https://abdulrahmanabdullah.com Kimsooja http://www.kimsooja.com Ai Weiwei https://www.lissongallery.com/artists/ai-weiwei Angelica Mesiti http://www.angelicamesiti.com George Gittoes http://gittoes.com Christian Thompson https://www.christianthompson.net Image: Khaled Sabsabi, Lefke Morning, 2012. Image courtesy the artists and Milani Gallery, Brisbane 13

Perth Cultural Centre 51 James St Northbridge pica.org.au 9228 6300 @pica_perth Government Partners Automotive Partner Major Partner Freight Partner Community Engagement Partner PICA s ongoing programs are primarily supported by an investment from the State of Western Australia through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries in association with Lotterywest, assistance from the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body. PICA is supported by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory Governments. 14