His work, executed in many different media, often incorporates themes of Islam and Arab identity in Australia, along with exploration of spirituality and multiculturalism, and has been exhibited nationally and internationally since 1999.
[1] When asked to select artists in the Art Gallery of NSW in whose work he has found similarities and inspiration, he chose Gordon Bennett, Brook Andrew, Hossein Valamanesh, and Mona Hatoum.
[10] He works across different media, from acrylic paint and oil sticks on paper to large immersive installations which include sound, scents, and video.
[7] In 2002, Sabsabi travelled back to Lebanon for an extended stay, which he says "became a significant moment in my creative career, forcing me to question, reflect and redefine my philosophical perspective and contemporary visual arts practice".
[6] Sabsabi visited Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Morocco several times, as well as China, Cyprus, Germany, Holland, Malaysia, Poland, and Sharjah and Dubai in the UAE.
[12] In 2022, Sabsabi withdrew from the Sydney Festival, along with around 20 other artists, in protest against its sponsorship deal with the Israeli embassy, which led to receiving threatening messages from anonymous people.
[3][14] CEO Adrian Collette said Sabsabi's and Dagostino's work "reflects the diversity and plurality of Australia's rich culture, and will spark meaningful conversations with audiences around the world".
[18]They issued a statement saying "The Board believes a prolonged and divisive debate about the 2026 selection outcome poses an unacceptable risk to public support for Australia's artistic community and could undermine our goal of bringing Australians together through art and creativity".
[28] Sabsabi and Dagostini issued a statement on Instagram expressing their disappointment, saying "art should not be censored as artists reflect the times they live in", and that they hoped to be able to present their work on a global platform.
[29] Artist Ben Quilty has pointed out that at the time that You was created in 2007, Nasrallah was regarded as "a legitimate political leader in the Middle East", and Hezbollah was not designated a proscribed terrorist organisation in Australia until 2021.
[8] In Western Sydney, he has worked with communities to create and develop arts programs and projects exploring "the complexities of place, displacement, identity and ideological differences associated with migrant experiences and marginalisation".
[11] Media artist and academic John Gillies described Sabsabi as "a thoughtful and peaceful person", and his selection for Venice was praised by Nicholas Tsoutas, former head of Sydney gallery Artspace.