Ibrahim Mahama on Art Basel Award, Colonial Histories, and Material Redemption
In 2025, Ibrahim Mahama was recognized as the most powerful individual in the art sector by Art Review's Power100 list. He is currently developing a significant installation for the Art Basel Award at Münsterplatz in Basel. Inspired by Arundhati Roy's book 'The God of Small Things,' the installation consists of walkable cubes crafted from traditional Ghanaian textiles and reclaimed industrial materials. Mahama extracts toxic waste from decommissioned industrial areas to restore the land and integrates 'head pans' along with materials repurposed from earlier works. He established the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art in 2019 and the Red Clay Studio in 2020, directing art market revenues towards revitalizing Ghana's industrial infrastructure while critiquing the art market and recognizing various influences.
Key facts
- Ibrahim Mahama was ranked #1 on Art Review's Power100 list in 2025.
- He is the winner of the Art Basel Award and is realizing a commission on Münsterplatz in Basel.
- The installation is titled after Arundhati Roy's novel 'The God of Small Things'.
- Materials include traditional handwoven Ghanaian Batakari textiles and industrial waste from abandoned factories in Ghana.
- Mahama salvages toxic materials from former industrial sites to regenerate the land.
- He founded the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art (SCCA) in Tamale in 2019 and the Red Clay Studio in 2020.
- A reconstructed glass factory in Ghana is part of a project with the Fondation Cartier, with an exhibition opening in October.
- Mahama cites Karî’kachä Seid’ou, Kwame Nkrumah, Okwui Enwezor, and Walter Benjamin as influences.
Entities
Artists
- Ibrahim Mahama
- Karî’kachä Seid’ou
- Kwame Nkrumah
- Okwui Enwezor
- Walter Benjamin
- Arundhati Roy
- Tetteh Quarshie
Institutions
- Art Review
- Art Basel
- Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art (SCCA)
- Red Clay Studio
- Fondation Cartier
- Barbican
- Basler Mission
- ArtReview
- Kochi Muziris Biennale
- Venice Biennale
Locations
- Basel
- Switzerland
- Ghana
- Tamale
- Osnabrück
- London
- India
- Bangladesh
- Fernando Po
- Caribbean
- Kochi
- Italy
- Venice