Like A Ray Of Light: Interview With Eleven
By Sarah Werkmeister
Portrait of NUR SHKEMBI (left) and KHALED SABSABI
The Australian-Muslim art collective eleven was formed in 2016 with the purpose of encouraging autonomous dialogues about what it means to exist in the contemporary moment, both within and outside of the group. The collective draws on each of the 13 members’ cultural traditions to speak to the complex multiplicities within their faiths, their everyday lives, geographical spaces, and experiences, while together, they function as a hub of resistance against the often hegemonic cultural discourse in Australia.
Given the premise of the group, eleven’s first major gallery exhibition, titled “Waqt al-tagheer: Time of Change,” which recently opened at ACE Open in Adelaide, naturally took on a myriad of topics. From Shireen Taweel's copper sculpture inspired by Australia's first mosque, and Abdullah MI Syed’s crocheted prayer caps, delicately hand-stitched over LED lights, which are then hung from the gallery ceiling, to Abdul Abdullah's photographic series featuring newlyweds against the backdrop of Malaysian Islamic wedding settings, it’s evident that a diversity of experiences exist in Australia, which is inhabited by Muslims from every corner of the globe. Now, these narratives are being represented in a contemporary setting.
