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About


Sabba Khan is an award-winning author bringing together visual art, architecture and storytelling into a practice that asks pertinent questions of our times. Sabba Khan’s “striking” and “impeccable”* debut graphic novel The Roles We Play won the Jhalak prize and was one of the Guardian’s best books of the year in 2021. Her graphic novel takes her working-class diasporic roots to interrogate class, race and gender in contemporary life in the UK. The medium of comics and sequential art form a central praxis to her approach, at once accessible and immediate, they are a way to examine and make sense of complex and entangled systems and structures, for both the private and the public. As such, Sabba’s work takes you on a journey, one of critical reflection, curious questioning, and ultimately deeper understanding.
*(Sarah Shaffi, The Guardian)


Collaborators for Khan’s visual arts work include The Wellcome Collection, The British Council, SOAS, NHS, The Design Museum, JCWI and The British Library.


Khan is co-director of Khan Bonshek, an architectural practice set up by her and her partner in Stratford, London, where both have just completed their self-build home and have won 2024’s Transformation Prize for NLA’s ‘Don’t Move, Improve!’ awards.

She also teaches as an Associate Lecturer at Chelsea School of Art, and is a mentor at Laydeez Do Comics.  
Khan’s art practice is supported with membership from A-N Artists, The Association of Illustrators and The Society of Authors. Funding bodies who have supported Khan’s practice are Arts Council England and Jerwood Arts. 




Current and Upcoming

+ Hard Graft at Wellcome Collection 


+ Newham Festival of Stories


+ Thought Bubble ‘24 - DSTLRY Hall table C4b









Past Events


+ Whitechapel Gallery Summer School ‘24 workshop with Alaa Alsaraji

+ North Kensington Library Workshop

+ The Future Obervatory at The Design Museum with Julia King

+ Jaag Festival panel talk 

+ Graphic Novel Your Life Module with Quentin Blake Centre

+ Storytelling Pathway lectures for BA Interiors, Chelsea School of Art, Year 3

+ NorthEastern University Guest Lecturer at BA Architecture


+ Part of judging panel for First Graphic Novel Competition 2023


+ Muslim Women Literature Conference, Birmingham


+ Comics workshop, Race and Health Conference for UCL’s Institute for Global Health


+ Unpacking The Roles We Play with Severnside Psychotherapy Institute


+ London College of Communication Guest Lecturer at BA Illustration


+ Comics workshop and panel talk with Caleb Azuma Nelson for Brighton Festival


+ Mindful drawing workshop for Rosetta Primary School, Year 2


+ Laundry workshop with Marianna at the Design Museum 


+ Show and Tell for Print and Matter Lab, Birmingham


+ London School of Architecture, Culture Theory workshop with Part 2  students


+ Islamophobia Awareness workhop and zine for Newham Council 


+ Panel Talk for Newcastle University’s Literature department


+ Guest Lecturer at Leeds University