Alla Abdunabi's solo exhibition at 421 Arts Campus examines colonial legacy through extinct Barbary lion

Libyan artist Alla Abdunabi presents her first solo exhibition 'Are your memories of me enough for you?' at 421 Arts Campus in Abu Dhabi, running until 4 May. The conceptual show explores colonialism through the extinct Barbary lion, a subspecies native to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya that vanished by the 1950s. Abdunabi's research-led installation features white lion sculptures resting on salt beds, reimagining the animals as vulnerable subjects rather than exotic symbols. The exhibition questions Western museum practices of displaying colonial artifacts, including taxidermy specimens and lion skulls shown at institutions like the Tower of London. Additional works include red drawings on wood depicting intertwined human-lion relationships and concrete grey relief structures titled 'taste sweet, taste bitter' (2024) inspired by Roman ruins in Libya. A personal element features Abdunabi's own tooth in 'tooth and a folly' (2024), examining ownership and the private-public interface. The exhibition was developed through 421's Artistic Development Program, which supports emerging artists in creating cohesive bodies of work. Abdunabi challenges Orientalist representations, referencing French Romantic artist Eugène Delacroix's paintings while reframing the lion's narrative beyond colonial exploitation.