Ibrahim Mahama. an essay

by Kuukuwa O. Manful.

Full text In Ghana Freedom: Ghana Pavilion at the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia

…. complex interactions of people, politics, modernity, and development are an inextricable part of Mahama’s work.

The entire creative process – from conception and acquisition of materials, through to the production, physical construction and installation of the art – reflects the forces and ideas he seeks to portray. His process of collecting objects for his installation often spans multiple years. In his choices of the theme, materials, and structures, he confronts the physical elements and the Ghanaian experiences they are associated with.

Working always with collaborators to put together installations and bring his monumental visions to light – from traders and fish smokers who exchange their old items for new ones from him, to the workers and other artists who help him craft new elements – they together occupy spaces as they put together these installations, whether in abandoned factory buildings, public buildings or open spaces.