‘BETWEEN SUNS’ by KHALED SABSABI
Opening Weekend:
Friday 07 August:
Artist Talk + Soft Opening 6-8 pm
Saturday 08 August:
Late Night Party with Peacefender
6pm-late
Opening hours:
Wednesday 1pm-7pm
Thu-Sun: 11am - 5pm
Friday 07 August:
Artist Talk + Soft Opening 6-8 pm
Saturday 08 August:
Late Night Party with Peacefender
6pm-late
Opening hours:
Wednesday 1pm-7pm
Thu-Sun: 11am - 5pm
Responding to the site, ‘Between Suns’ unfolds as a multi-sensory journey through painting, video, sound, smell and installation. Anchored by Sabsabi’s first exhibited work Aajyna (1998), the exhibition traces a sustained inquiry into mysticism, the everyday, fate and coincidence - forces that quietly shape our experiences of life. This presentation of Aajyna is intimate in nature, an immersive experience that reflects on Sabsabi’s experience of the Lebanese Civil War as a child.
Working across painting, video, sound, installation and performance, Khaled approaches art as a communicative and ethical space: a shared language through which complex ideas of belonging, faith, power and collectively can be encountered. His work extends this inquiry, creating a tactile space for reflection on identity, spirituality, and the interrelatedness of daily life. Unfolding across cycles rather than fixed narratives, and inviting audiences into moments of reflection, resonance and exchange.
Sabsabi describes the exhibition as:
‘an opportunity to further personal artistic and creative expressions of the undefined routines and the ability to distill space, time and symbolism into the narrative of life.’
Vessel Contemporary is an independent, not-for-profit contemporary arts organisation based at the Naval Store in Fremantle. This exhibition reflects the organisation's core commitment to presenting thought-provoking contemporary art as a space for dialogue.
Between Suns’ runs concurrently with Sabsabi's representation of Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale, offering Western Australian audiences a rare opportunity to engage deeply with an internationally acclaimed artist's practice on a local scale. Western Australia holds a particular significance in Sabsabi's artistic history; his solo exhibition ‘A Self Portrait’ (PICA, 2018) marked a milestone in his career.
"Western Australia has a special place in my heart and has provided me with great opportunities and milestones of my career. This feels like another one that feels timely and meaningful." — Khaled Sabsabi
Khaled Sabsabi (b.1965) is one of Australia's most significant and acclaimed contemporary artists, whose practice examines the relations between spirituality, identity, ideology and lived experience. He has produced over 65 major works and exhibited in more than 90 solo and group exhibitions in Australia and internationally, including the 18th and 21st Biennale of Sydney, 9th Shanghai Biennale and the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art (2018, 2024). He is the recipient of the Creative Australia Annual Visual Arts Award (2023) and the Sharjah Art Programme Prize (2016), among fifteen international awards. His work is held in major public collections including the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.
Mikala Tai is an independent writer, curator and cultural strategist based in Sydney. A specialist in contemporary Australian and Asian art, she has collaborated with local, national, and international organisations to strengthen cultural connections between Australia and Asia.
“It is a special experience to work with the archive of an artist to shape a survey exhibition. The breadth and depth of Khaled’s practice is remarkable and I look forward to audiences in Fremantle encountering these compelling works at Vessel.” - Mikala Tai
We’re asking the community to help us raise $15,000.
Every donation, from $2 to $1,000, directly enables ‘Between Suns’ to open its doors. Every contribution counts. Every contribution is acknowledged.
Independent art takes collective action — from people who believe, as we do, that the society we want is one where art, critical thinking, and free expression are protected and celebrated.
This is your invitation to be part of that.
Every donation, from $2 to $1,000, directly enables ‘Between Suns’ to open its doors. Every contribution counts. Every contribution is acknowledged.
Independent art takes collective action — from people who believe, as we do, that the society we want is one where art, critical thinking, and free expression are protected and celebrated.
This is your invitation to be part of that.
Donate now.
THANK YOU TO ALL SUPPORTERS FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN
Emma Lashmar, Yasamin Khadembashi, Ek Uvelius Family, Nina Juniper and Che Parker, Emma Pegrum,
Sam Bloor, Lia McKnight, Patrick Gunasekera, Aedan Howlett, Ken Meyer, Caroline Christie-Coxon, Jessica Kolbusz, Evelyn Holt, Louis Masarei, Emma-Lee Maher, Wise Child Wine Store, Anastasia T, Renae Bloomer, Ashleigh Medwin, Kate Hulett, Frances Silberstein, Luka Rey, Tim Sommerville, Duncan Wright, Tasmin Vivian-Williams, Zali Morgan, Alanna Kusin, Sarah Booth, Zoe Martyn, Siobhan McCarthy, Natalie De Rozario, Rohan Silva, Tom Cramond, Carola Akindele-Obe, Marcus Canning, Vincenzo and Sally Savini, Joe Landro, Marisa D'Orsogna, Amarie Bergman, Gabrielle Nind, Mayma Awaida, Jemima Williamson-Wong, Georgia Hayward, Shannah Mitchell, Alice Ford, Pete Stone, Jan and Cas Doyle-Green, Sultana Shamshi and several anonymous donors