Ibrahim Mahama

Ibrahim Mahama (born 1987 in Tamale, Ghana) is a Ghanaian contemporary artist known for his large-scale installations, sculptures and architectural interventions that explore global trade, commodification, labor, economic inequality, migration, and the socio-political legacies of colonialism in Africa. Mahama transforms everyday materials, such as jute sacks used in commodity exchange and abandoned infrastructure, into works that engage with collective memory and historical narratives. Quotes "I use crisis and failure as the primary material in my work to be able to produce and develop new language and aesthetics. And this speaks to us about global conditions that are also related to my collaborators, the people I work with, the young migrants who construct my installations and sew these materials together." Ibrahim Mahama, The Art Newspaper, 2021. "The jute sack can go on carrying other commodities until it ends up being used for charcoal and the material is stained and can no longer be used to transport anything." Ibrahim Mahama, The Art Newspaper, 2021. "I want to be the kind of an artist that changes the narrative of art, and also the narrative of how people live and interact." Ibrahim Mahama, The Art Newspaper, 2021. “My hope is to start conversations at a time when there are very few meaningful ones. My art is political in that sense – as well as aesthetic.” Ibrahim Mahama, The Guardian, 2019. “I’m an artist who wants to work in Africa. And I am also tired of producing work that gets exported to Europe and America. I want local people to experience art made in Ghana, as well as to experience what you experience.” Ibrahim Mahama, The Guardian, 2019. “I’m not a solitary artist, but part of a community and I have a vision of art that can effect change rather than being about producing beautiful commodities for sale on the market. Perhaps that distinguishes my work – it departs from the European tradition.” Ibrahim Mahama, The Guardian, 2019. “The dust needs to be removed. But otherwise the residue is there.” Ibrahim Mahama, The Guardian, 2019. “My hope is that a father will be walking with his son one evening and talk about what they see.” Ibrahim Mahama, The Guardian, 2019. “in their fatigued state they speak, too. They have journeyed across continents and around Ghana, witnesses to innumerable lives, and now to us here in Manchester.” Ibrahim Mahama, The Guardian, 2019. External links Category: Living people Category: 1987 births Category:Sculptors from Ghana Category: Installation artists