Z FOR ZARAFA

A solo show by Lara Baladi

2 June - 23 September 2026

Press release EN/AR

Gypsum is pleased to present Z for Zarafa, the first solo exhibition by Egyptian-Lebanese artist Lara Baladi at the gallery. Emerging from Anatomy of Revolution, her monumental web-based ABC of global protests (2019–ongoing,) the exhibition unfolds through a new body of work spanning tapestry, photography, and sculptural installation. For Baladi, the letter Z (“Zain” in Arabic) becomes an entry point into intertwined histories of migration, diplomatic exchange, and revolutions.

In Baladi’s sprawling alphabet, the letter Z stands for many words, including “Zarafa,” the giraffe gifted by Mohamed Ali to King Charles X of France in 1827. More than a diplomatic offering, Zarafa became a spectacle: a living emissary who traversed continents, empires, and imaginations. She sparked a cultural frenzy—hairstyles rose in imitation of her height, textiles echoed the markings of her coat, and her image proliferated across objects and decorative surfaces. For Baladi, however, Zarafa’s afterlife persists as both a diplomatic relic and a metaphor for displacement and forced migration.

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UPCOMING

**FRIEZE LONDON**
**October 2026**
Nada Elkalaawy, Yasmine El Meleegy, Huda Lutfi, Hana El-Sagini

**FRIEZE ABU DHABI**
**November 2026**
Dina Danish, Nada Elkalaawy, Basim Magdy, Hend Samir

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