IBRAHIM MAHAMA WINS MAJOR 2020 AWARD.

By Nii B. Andrews.

The eminent Ghanaian visual artist, Ibrahim Mahama, has been declared the recipient of the 2020 Principal Prince Claus Award.

This prestigious award is presented to organisations and individuals who have made a positive impact on their societies.

Since the inception of the award in 1997, previous Ghanaian recipients include; Prof. J.H. Nketia (Laureate 1997), Tetteh Adzedu (Principal Award 1998), and El Anatsui (Laureate 2009).

On Facebook Mahama wrote: “It is a great honor to be the recipient of the PRINCIPAL PRICE CLAUS AWARD for 2020. Its humbling to be receiving this award within the Times we live in. It proves that partnerships, collaborations and most importantly support structures are very necessary for building the next generation engines.

Most gratitude to Ghana and the continent for creating the enabling environment to think, create and share my practice. Now more than ever we need to come together to build a new image for the continent and world at large.”

His artwork most often utilises discarded burlap or jute cocoa sacks – intriguing materials that he transforms into incisive commentaries on commodity, migration, globalisation, economic exchange and the woefully inept mismanagement of resources.

Often made in collaboration with others, his large-scale installations employ materials gathered from urban environments, such as remnants of wood, or jute sacks which are stitched together and draped over architectural structures. 

Mahama’s interest in material, process and audience first led him to focus on jute sacks that are synonymous with the trade markets of Ghana where he lives and works.

In the recent past Mahama has set up an open­ access cultural centre and other social projects providing employment, education, studio space and creative activities for the youth in his home region of Ghana.

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