As part of the project, artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino have brought people together through a series of gatherings centered on listening, sharing, and collaboration. These moments foster dialogue, build connections, and create opportunities for collective reflection. Below is a selection of documentation that captures the spirit and presence of these encounters.
the gathering
Parramatta, Australia, March 2026
Artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino discuss their project, conference of one’s self for the Australia Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale and how contemporary art engages with experiences of spirituality and shared humanity.
Sabsabi reflects on his childhood during the Lebanese Civil War and migration to Western Sydney, situating his practice around memory, displacement and social justice. He explains how early experiences in his parents’ video store shaped his understanding of sound, image and community—and how his return to Lebanon in 2002 was pivotal, reconnecting him with his taṣawwuf (Sufi) lineage and spiritual teachings.
conference of one’s self draws on the twelfth-century poem The Conference of the Birds by Farīd-al-dīn Aṭṭār, an important text in taṣawwuf thought. Sabsabi outlines the poem’s seven valleys; quest, love, knowledge, detachment, unity, wonderment and annihilation, introducing his own eighth level: wholeness and completeness.
In a historic first for Australia, Sabsabi is presenting work in both the Australia Pavilion and in the Biennale’s International Art Exhibition, In Minor Keys by Koyo Kouoh. Developed in parallel, Sabsabi frames both projects as invitations for audiences to “pause, breathe, listen, acknowledge where they are, and find their journey through that space”. He concludes, “I do sincerely hope that people are able to bring their perspectives, their learning, their emotional being, and be engaged, and hopefully be moved in the work.”
This conversation was recorded on the unceded lands of the Dharug peoples at Parramatta Town Hall, Western Sydney, on 8 March 2026. It was presented by Commissioner Creative Australia and Education Partner UNSW Sydney as part of the public program ‘The Gathering’. It was produced in partnership with Art Review.
Venice, Italy, 8 May 2026
The second Gathering was held at the Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Venice, on 8 May 2026, bringing together artist Khaled Sabsabi, curator Michael Dagostino, participating artists and invited guests during the opening week of the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. The event celebrated the conversations, collaborations and shared experiences surrounding The Invitation, reflecting the spirit of dialogue and connection at the heart of the project.
