In-Between the World and Dreams

Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama. Source: https://www.biennaleofsydney.art/learn/learning-resources/learning-nirin-home-ibrahim-mahama-breaking-bread/

By Emily Sulkey, GSP Blog Team Contributor

October 5, 2020

Globalization is more prominent than ever in society today. As the notions of migration and economic exchange continue to spread and prosper, cultures are more widely shared and the world becomes more unified. Ibrahim Mahama, an artist from Ghana, presents these concepts in his innovative artwork.

Mahama was born in 1987 in Tamale, Ghana. He studied painting and sculpture at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in the city of Kumasi. Recently, he was awarded for his artistic contributions to Africa by being named the 73rd most influential African on the list of 2019/2020’s top 100 most influential Africans (theafricareport.com). One of his greatest contributions to date is starting the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art in his hometown.

His predominant use of common, everyday materials sets Mahama’s art apart from others. Several of his installations involve jute sacks, bags made from vegetable fibers that are used to transport cocoa beans. They are commonly used in the trade markets of Ghana, where he spends most of his time at work. Another one of his inventive pieces involves train seats repurposed in a model of the parliament chamber of Ghana and is on display in Manchester, England.

In-Between the World and Dreams, Mahama’s latest exhibit, is currently being shown at the University of Michigan Museum of Art. The installation is on display outside due to the current circumstances with the pandemic. The presence of the jute sacks hung on the museum walls--a crossover between the more natural society of Tamale and the fast-paced modernity of Ann Arbor--serves as a visual reference to globalization.

Additionally, a virtual installation of the exhibition called “Gallery View” is being offered, which is available upon requesting access. (Editor's Update: The gallery video is now available below.) This multimedia initiative features a 25-minute video clip filmed in a newsreel-like style that further explores the exhibit as well as its off-site elements, which include an online feature discussing the art center that Mahama is building in Ghana, and another jute sack installment in Detroit that will be viewable later this fall. Behind-the-scenes footage of Mahama’s process and a virtual conversation between the artist and the curator will also be part of Gallery View.

In-Between the World and Dreams will be available for viewing in-person Sept. 21 - Oct. 23 and virtually from Oct. 5 - 23.