In anyone's books, Khaled Sabsabi's story is extraordinary. He is an artist, former rapper and proud Liverpool resident, amongst many other things. Khaled has also just been selected to represent Australia at the sixty-first Venice Biennale, the world's oldest and most prestigious contemporary art exhibition, alongside his long-time curatorial partner and my good friend Michael D'Agostino. The pair first worked together in 1998 on Khaled's first exhibition, Arab Made, at the Casula Powerhouse in Liverpool. Khaled's selection to the Venice Biennale, known as the Olympics of the art world, is particularly fitting given the current climate. His work often explores ideas of representation, identity and breaking stereotypes, especially of Muslims and Arabs within the Australian context. His career spans more than 35 years and more than 90 solo and group exhibitions all over the world. Khaled has studied, lived and worked in Western Sydney since moving to Australia from Tripoli during the Lebanese Civil War. I congratulate Khaled and Michael. Our best wishes are with them.