Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi reveals details of presentations in the Australia Pavilion and in the International Exhibition 'In Minor Keys' at Biennale Arte 2026
Opening this week at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (9 May to 22 November 2026), artist Khaled Sabsabi presents two major works, conference of one’s self at the Australia Pavilion and khalil in the Biennale’s main exhibition, In Minor Keys, bringing audiences into a shared space for creativity, dialogue and reflection across Venice:
- In conference of one’s self, Sabsabi transforms the Australia Pavilion with an immersive multisensory installation exploring spirituality, migration, and shared humanity, inviting audiences to reflect on the interconnectedness of the inner and outer self.
- In a historic first for an Australian artist, Sabsabi simultaneously presents work in the Biennale’s main Exhibition In Minor Keys curated by Koyo Kouoh at the Arsenale, titled khalil.
- Central to the presentations is a philosophical framework drawn from tasawwuf (Sufi) thought, in which spiritual transformation unfolds through reflection and collective experience.
- conference of one’s self and khalil offer counterpoints to the disorder and uncertainty engulfing the contemporary moment, demonstrating what could be possible when cultural, linguistic and spiritual differences are honoured within individual and collective experiences.
conference of one’s self, an immersive artwork created by Khaled Sabsabi, premieres at the Australia Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Commissioned by Creative Australia, the exhibition is curated by Michael Dagostino and is on view from 9 May – 22 November 2026.
Image credit: Khaled Sabsabi, conference of one’s self, 2026, Australia Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia. Photo: Andrea Rossetti. Courtesy the artist and Milani Gallery
View 2026 exhibition images
Exhibition Details
61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
Dates: 9 May – 22 November 2026
-Khaled Sabsabi presents conference of one’s self, curated by Michael Dagostino at the Australia Pavilion, located in the Giardini della Biennale, as a part of the Biennale Arte 2026, commissioned by Creative Australia.
-Khaled Sabsabi’s work khalil is presented within the International Exhibition In Minor Keys by Koyo Kouoh, in the Arsenale. The artist is represented by Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
Website: theinvitation.com.au
Artistic team announced
The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia will take place from 9 May to 22 November 2026.
In 2026, the artistic team exhibiting in the Australia Pavilion are Khaled Sabsabi as the artist and Michael Dagostino as the curator after being recommissioned on 2 July 2025.
Sabsabi is an acclaimed multidisciplinary artist with over 35 years of experience working across art mediums, geographical borders and with communities both in Australia and internationally. His work explores themes of human collectiveness, questions identity politics, and ideology, and sparks thought and dialogue through compelling artistic expression.
Sabsabi with Dagostino, currently Director of the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney, will draw on their long-standing creative collaboration to present a new work for the Australia Pavilion.
Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino in Granville. Photo: Anna Kucera
As the world is being divided by fixed ideologies, we believe that it is our duty as artists and storytellers to plant seeds for nurturing conversations that may guide us one day to settle differences with positive values of admiration and appreciation.
Creative Australia is the commissioner and producer of Australia’s National Participation at the Venice Biennale 2026.
The 2026 Biennale’s main exhibition, In Minor Keys, will honour the late curator Koyo Kouoh by realising the project as she originally conceived it. Kouoh, formerly Executive Director and Chief Curator of Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, will be credited posthumously.
Title: conference of one’s self
Commissioner: Creative Australia
Curator: Michael Dagostino
Artist: Khaled Sabsabi
Exhibition website: www.theinvitation.com’
