Two Western Sydney artisans connected to Arts & Cultural Exchange have contributed to Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi’s exhibition at the 61st Venice Biennale, bringing months of hand embroidery work to one of the world’s most recognised contemporary art events.
Anamika and Shabnam Mukhi, who are part of ACE’s Multicultural Women’s Hub, worked on four embroidered satin curtains designed by Sabsabi for his exhibition, conference of one’s self, presented at the Australia Pavilion in Venice.
The collaboration began more than a year ago when Project Director Mikala Tai approached ACE Executive Director Anne Loxley about involving members of the organisation’s multicultural arts program in the project. Creative Australia later supported the embroidery component.
For five months, the pair spent hundreds of hours hand stitching appliqué motifs including circles, crescent moons and rays onto the curtains.
Anamika described the experience as both demanding and rewarding.
“It has been an immense privilege to work with Khaled and to have our work seen at the Venice Biennale,” she said.
“We would love for Australians, particularly members of the Western Sydney community, to have the opportunity to see Sabsabi’s exhibition.”
The project adds to a growing list of international collaborations for the two artists, who have also worked alongside First Nations artist Jonathan Jones on untitled (transcriptions of country), shown at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and later at Artspace Sydney.
ACE Executive Director Anne Loxley said the organisation had a longstanding relationship with Sabsabi and welcomed the international attention on artists connected to Western Sydney.
“The ACE team congratulates Khaled Sabsabi for being the first Australian artist to show concurrently in the Pavilion and in the curated exhibition of the Venice Biennale,” Ms Loxley said.
“We also congratulate the brilliant embroiderers Anamika and Shabnam Mukhi, for realising Khaled’s vision for the curtains so exquisitely.”
Ms Loxley said the work reflected the strength of collaborative arts practice within Western Sydney communities, where cultural knowledge and creative skills are often shared across generations.
Arts organisations in Western Sydney have increasingly gained national and international recognition over the past decade, particularly for projects centred on migration, identity and community storytelling. At the same time, many community arts groups continue to face funding pressures and growing demand for accessible cultural programs.
ACE, established in 1984, runs programs focused on First Nations artists, multicultural women, youth engagement, artists with disability and screen practice. Its Multicultural Women’s Hub delivers free workshops and community programs across Western Sydney, supporting women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds through creative skills development and social connection.
Anamika, originally from Bihar in India, has practised Madhubani art and embroidery since childhood and now works with organisations including ACE and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. She was also part of the Gul Collective exhibition Plant Stories in Threads at the Sydney Royal Botanic Garden earlier this year.
Shabnam Mukhi, who previously taught Hindi, Sanskrit and Gujarati in India, now works part time in early childhood education while continuing her embroidery and henna art practice in Australia.
To coincide with the Biennale project, ACE has also launched ACE Italy, a curated travel and arts experience offering audiences access to exhibitions, private collections and artist led tours connected to the Venice Biennale.
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