Ibraaz’s New London Space to ‘Shine a Light’ on the Global Majority

A new central London institution will go ‘one step further’ in supporting the exchange of art and ideas from the global majority when it opens this October, ‘at a time when so many are seeking safe spaces,’ founder Lina Lazaar said.

Ibraaz, the digital platform backed by the Tunisia-rooted, Swiss-based Kamel Lazaar Foundation as a place for open discourse on visual culture in North Africa and the Middle East, will launch a physical project space in a six-storey West London townhouse on 3 October 2025.

‘Our ambition has always been to expand beyond regional framings’ said Lazaar, who described the goal as creating ‘a brave space’ to address contemporary issues through culture. 

Taking its name from the Arabic for ‘shine a light on’, the gallery was designed by architect Sumayya Vally—the youngest practitioner commissioned for the Serpentine Pavilion. It previously housed a synagogue and arts centre, and now is intended as a place ‘where art serves as a means of rethinking systems, telling new stories, and forging connections across borders’.

The 10,000-square-foot space opens with a site-specific installation called Parliament of Ghosts by Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama, transforming its main gallery with colonial-era furniture and jute sacks reflecting on post-independence Ghana until 15 February 2026.

Public programming includes talks and performances curated by Shumon Basar, a music programme led by Imed Alibi featuring artists like oud player Naseer Shamma, and a library residency by the artist collective The Otolith Group. 

The venue will also host a Palestinian literature-focused bookshop, a Tunisian café, and an editorial platform continuing Ibraaz’s legacy of critical writing, developed by editor and writer Stephanie Bailey. —[O]

Main image: Interior view of Ibraaz at 93 Mortimer Street, London. Courtesy Ibraaz.