In draping them over buildings of significance, including the Malam Dodoo National Theatre in Accra, the Torwache in Kassel and the Porta Venezia in Milan, he elevates a humble material and reminds us how the edifices of civilisation are built on the backs of the masses and in bringing together hundreds of collaborators to weave sacks into these tapestries, he demonstrates the ability of simple gestures to make a big impact. Most famous of all are the jute sacks that have been integral to his art since the early days: made in South East Asia and imported to Ghana to transport cacao beans, they are reused to transport food and eventually coal, accumulating marks and stains that bear witness to their journeys. His Parliament of Ghosts, created for the 2019 Manchester International Festival, used rows and rows of Ghana Railways carriage seats (built under British colonial rule) to conjure a sense of broken promise meanwhile, a recent installation at White Cube Bermondsey, Capital Corpses, brought together 100 decommissioned sewing machines, rusted but still functional, clattering in tandem to evoke the labour that has been driven to the margins by automation. Gathered through a process of negotiation and exchange, and carefully assembled into one monumental work with no supporting structure, the boxes articulated the chaos of post-independence society and the spirit of improvisation and collaboration that is necessary for progress.įor A Grain of Wheat 1918–1945, he collected dozens of Second World War first aid stretchers from a refugee camp near Athens and restretched some of them with household fabrics and smoked fish papers from West Africa, drawing powerful parallels between wartime suffering and colonial exploitation. Take for example Non-Orientable Nkansa, a wall formed of hundreds of wooden boxes that once held the tools used by shoe repairmen in his native Ghana. The ambitious installations of Ibrahim Mahama bring to light tales of migration, trade and exploitation that can often go unnoticed.
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