Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama interrogates trade, labour, and global exchange cycles, questioning what new forms might emerge from the residue of failure. Mahama asks: “‘How do we resurrect ghosts within a time of crisis… Is it possible to imagine a future using death and decay as a starting point?”
NANDANBIA is a large, wall-mounted artwork made of jute sacks, part of Ibrahim Mahama’s long-standing exploration into the afterlives of materials and the histories they carry. As with other artworks in the series, NANDANBIA was made in Ghana with the help of local collaborators. The series repurposes worn sacks once used to transport cocoa, charcoal, and other traded goods. These elements bear the marks of human labour, movement, and memory.
In his wider practice, Mahama reimagines the social role of art, founding two spaces dedicated to promoting contemporary art and education through community-driven projects: the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art and the Red Clay studio complex. Established in his hometown of Tamale, Ghana, he encourages visitors, many of whom are local children, to engage with repurposed materials, experience the history of labour and reimagine its future.
Ibrahim Mahama (b. 1987) is a Ghanaian contemporary artist recognised for his monumental installations of repurposed jute sacks. Through these, he examines themes of global trade, labour, and post-colonial histories. He is also the founder of the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art (SCCA) and Red Clay Studio.
Mahama has exhibited in major international art events such as Documenta 14 in 2017 and the Venice Biennale in 2015 and 2019 and realised prominent projects at institutions including London’s Barbican Centre and Whitechapel Gallery. In 2023, Mahama was appointed Artistic Director of the 35th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts, Ljubljana. He has participated in numerous exhibitions including Sharjah Biennial 15 (2023); 18th International Venice Architecture Biennale (2023); The High Line, New York (2021); University of Michigan Museum of Art (2020); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2020).
Ibrahim Mahama is represented by White Cube (London, Hong Kong, New York, Seoul, West Palm Beach) and Apalazzo Gallery (Brescia, Italy).
