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🇦🇺 Australia /Culture & Society

Artist Khaled Sabsabi finds inspiration in coffee and memory

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Artist Khaled Sabsabi is showcasing work inspired by Lebanese coffee and childhood memories of war at his current exhibition, "Between Suns."
  • Sabsabi, who is representing Australia at the Venice Biennale, uses sensory elements like the scent of coffee to evoke memory and emotion.
  • The exhibition features recreated and new pieces, including a bunker-like structure that emits the aroma of coffee, connecting to his past experiences.

Artist Khaled Sabsabi is drawing on the aroma of Lebanese coffee and poignant childhood memories to create immersive experiences in his latest exhibition, "Between Suns." The show, a survey of his work from 1998 to 2026, is currently on display at Vessel Contemporary in Fremantle.

This is pretty much the only childhood memory work I've ever created in my creative practice.

— Khaled SabsabiArtist Khaled Sabsabi discusses the personal nature of his artwork inspired by childhood memories.

Sabsabi, who is making history with a double showing at the Venice Biennale, is tired of discussing the controversy surrounding his appointment. Instead, he focuses on the sensory elements of his art, particularly the recurring motif of coffee. His first visual artwork, Aajyna, has been recreated for the Vessel venue, incorporating the scent of Lebanese coffee to engage visitors.

This piece is deeply personal, evoking Sabsabi's childhood during Lebanon's civil war. He describes seeking shelter in makeshift bunkers and hearing sniper bullets, but also recalls joyful moments of his mother reading fortunes in coffee cups for migrant women in Western Sydney. "This is pretty much the only childhood memory work I've ever created in my creative practice," Sabsabi shared.

I'm interested in memory and how humans can recreate memory and even essentially change memory in a very subtle way.

— Khaled SabsabiKhaled Sabsabi explains his artistic exploration of memory.

He is fascinated by memory's malleability and how it can be subtly altered. The original Aajyna was lost to time and later recreated in 2021. The current installation features coffee dripping from the walls of a bunker-like structure, a powerful evocation of his past. "The use of the medium of coffee, it was like reconnecting with an old friend that you haven't seen for 20 years," Sabsabi explained.

The use of the medium of coffee, it was like reconnecting with an old friend that you haven't seen for 20 years.

— Khaled SabsabiKhaled Sabsabi describes his use of coffee as an artistic medium.

Coffee also features in other works, including a large mural created in sections in his Western Sydney studio. Exhibition curator Mikala Tai noted Sabsabi's strong connection to the drink, saying, "You can't go to Khaled's studio without being force-fed coffee."

You can't go to Khaled's studio without being force-fed coffee.

— Mikala TaiExhibition curator Mikala Tai comments on Khaled Sabsabi's affinity for coffee.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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