Ibrahim Mahama wraps Porta Venezia in jute for Fondazione Trussardi

Ibrahim Mahama has covered the historic bastions of Porta Venezia in Milan with two large jute tarps in an installation titled "A Friend," commissioned by Fondazione Nicola Trussardi. The work, opening April 2, 2019, during Milan Art Week and miart, remains on view until April 14. Curated by Massimiliano Gioni, the project uses the city's former tollbooths to reflect on borders, migration, and globalization. Mahama, born 1987 in Tamale, Ghana, and based between Accra, Tamale, and Kumasi, is known for transforming urban materials. The installation evokes Alberto Burri's jute sacks and Christo's 1970 wrapping of monuments in Milan. Mahama participated in Documenta 14 (2017) and the 2015 Venice Biennale; in May 2019 he will represent Ghana at the Venice Biennale alongside El Anatsui, Lynette Yiadom-Boyake, and John Akomfrah.