Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama beautifully adorned the Barbican Centre with traditional Ghanaian robes in magenta fabric.
Mahama’s work, Purple Hibiscus, spans about 2,000 sqm, is hand-embroidered with more than 130 batakaris worn by Ghanaian kings, and is often saved by families over generations.
The artwork, named after Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2003 novel, was hung on the central London building using a system of straps, ratchets, and weights and weighs a total of 20 tons.
Ibrahim Mahama said his art signified his “interest in the lifecycles of textiles and what can be learned from the historical memories embedded within them.”
“Worn, degraded, and bearing traces of years of use, these smocks are testaments to the endurance of traditional belief systems and the continued relevance of intergenerational knowledge,” he added.
Mahama’s piece is part of a bigger project at the Barbican called Unravel: The Power and politics of Textiles in Art.
Source: Ghana/MaxTV/Max89.7FM/max.com.gh/Michael Mensah Martey/
