Ibrahim Mahama201734White Cube

Fragments

2017Inside the White CubeExchange Exchanger

Inside the White Cube

Ibrahim Mahama is one of the most prominent artists to emerge from Ghana in recent years, known for his large-scale installations incorporating jute sacks previously used to transport cocoa beans and charcoal, which are stitched together and draped over architectural structures.

Published to accompany Fragments, Mahamas first UK exhibition, this book is an invaluable introduction to his practice in general, including not only images of the works on show but also archival images of past projects and resource material.

In the works exhibited in Mahamas 2017 Inside the White Cube exhibition, the artist explores time and transference, privation and potential, as embodied through objects, materials and the traces left in their wake. The artists created a monumental sculpture in the north gallery of the building, made from wooden shoe-boxes as well as an installation of jute sack wall works and the film Exchange Exchanger. As he explains, the hope is that their residues stained, broken and abandoned, but bearing light might lead us into new possibilities and spaces beyond. This impetus characterises all of Mahamas works.

Inside the White Cube is a series of exhibitions showcasing work by non-represented artists at the forefront of global developments in contemporary art, who have not previously exhibited with the gallery. Accompanying a number of the exhibitions are modest softback volumes that serve as an introduction to the artists practices.