Ibrahim Mahama's 'As the void, vali and voli' at Palazzo Cigola Fenaroli

Ibrahim Mahama (Tamale, 1987) presents new collages, drawings, and writings at Palazzo Cigola Fenaroli in Brescia, in collaboration with APALAZZO gallery founder Francesca Migliorati. The exhibition 'As the void, vali and voli' plays with multiple meanings in the Dagbani language, evoking movement through narrow openings, holes, and tunnels. Mahama references non-human life forms, particularly bats, as symbols of freedom and occupants of abandoned architecture in Ghana. The works include notebooks, drawings, and post-colonial archival documents reflecting on the acquisition and transfer of buildings. Mahama's research in northern Ghana confronts the weight of post-colonial concrete structures scattered in rural areas, highlighting the disillusionment of political hopes after independence. He responds by acquiring and transforming these spaces into community-oriented venues, especially for younger generations. His practice is collective, exemplified by the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art (SCCA) in Tamale and the Red Clay Studio project, emphasizing educational, participatory, and shared reappropriation of spaces.