Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama is bringing a major exhibition to the Fondation Cartier in Paris, while keeping its ideas and long-term impact firmly connected to Ghana. "The Harvest Season" draws on the country's materials, industrial heritage and community-based creative work.
The exhibition revisits Mahama's ongoing installation "Parliament of Ghosts," made with objects including discarded railway seats, school furniture, jute sacks and archival materials. A new version will also incorporate around 200 restored royal stools from the Asante Empire. Rather than placing them behind glass, the exhibition invites visitors to encounter the stools as objects with an active role and history.
From Paris back to Ghana
A second major project focuses on the Aboso Glass Factory, an industrial site Mahama acquired and is reimagining as an installation. The Paris presentation is one part of a wider effort: after the exhibition, the reconstructed factory will return to Ghana for a planned permanent installation in Kumasi.
Mahama's practice is built on collaboration with artists, craftspeople and local communities. Proceeds from his work also support cultural and educational spaces he has established in Ghana, including Red Clay Studio and the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art in Tamale. The Paris exhibition will bring together additional artists and collectives, extending that collaborative approach across borders.
By connecting an international exhibition with enduring cultural spaces in Ghana, Mahama's project offers a model for art that travels globally while investing in the communities and histories that shape it. Such work may help cultural institutions become more collaborative, accessible and rooted in place.
