Ibrahim Mahama, a renowned Ghanaian artist known for his work with found materials and textile remnants, has made history by becoming the first African to be named the most influential figure in the contemporary art world. The artist topped ArtReview magazine's prestigious annual Power 100 list, which ranks the most influential people and organizations in the art world as selected by a global judging panel.
Mahama expressed his humility about receiving this groundbreaking recognition, telling The Guardian that he felt honored to reach the top of a list he first discovered while studying at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana in 2011. At that time, Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei held the number one position. "For me to be part of this, especially coming from a place like Ghana, which for many years was almost as if we were not even part of the discourse, is quite humbling," Mahama said.
Based in Tamale, a city in northern Ghana, Mahama hopes his achievement will inspire younger artists in his country to recognize their place in contemporary art discourse rather than feeling marginalized. He emphasized the importance of showing emerging artists that they are not "just on the sideline" but are integral participants in the global art conversation.
Mark Rappolt, ArtReview's editor-in-chief, explained that Mahama's selection reflects a significant shift in the global art world's power dynamics. "I think you could also look at that as saying there's a realignment of where global finance sits – I wouldn't say that the art world is separate from those worlds. The MENA region has historically always been a bridge between east and west," Rappolt noted.
The Power 100 list's top ten positions showcase strong representation from Middle Eastern and African artists and curators. Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who chairs Qatar Museums and is recognized as one of Qatar's most powerful women since 2006, secured the second position, largely due to her substantial purchasing power in the art market. Last year's top-ranked figure, Sheikha Hoor al-Qasimi, president and director of the Sharjah Art Foundation in the United Arab Emirates, dropped to third place, while Egyptian artist Wael Shawky claimed the fourth spot.
Rounding out the top ten are Singapore's Ho Tzu Nyen in fifth place, followed by Americans Amy Sherald (6th), Kerry James Marshall (7th), and Saidiya Hartman (8th). The UK-based collective Forensic Architecture secured ninth place, while German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans completed the top ten.
Mahama has experienced an extraordinarily productive period over the past couple of years. He is represented by prestigious galleries including Apalazzo Gallery and White Cube, and his artistic practice involves transforming discarded materials such as old hospital beds, abandoned train carriages, and other artifacts into compelling art objects. This approach to repurposing found materials has become a signature element of his work.
One of Mahama's most acclaimed recent exhibitions was "Songs About Roses" at Edinburgh's Fruitmarket Gallery last year. This powerful installation explored the historical rise and decline of the railway system that the British government constructed in Ghana between 1898 and 1923. Critics praised the work as being "as extraordinary as a great magic-realist novel," with The Guardian's Jonathan Jones noting that the work's "reckoning with history's ghosts puts Mahama up there with William Kentridge and Anselm Kiefer as one of today's most important artists."
Just months before his Edinburgh exhibition opened, Mahama created a spectacular installation at London's Barbican Centre, draping the building in 2,000 square meters of bright pink fabric. The massive scale of this textile work required it to be stitched together in a football field in Ghana due to its enormous size, demonstrating both the ambition and logistical complexity of Mahama's projects.
In 2019, Mahama established the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art in Tamale, creating a comprehensive 900 square meter cultural hub that serves multiple functions as an exhibition space, library, artist residency facility, archive, and studio. This institution represents his commitment to developing the contemporary art scene in his home region and providing opportunities for local and international artists.
Rappolt emphasized that many of the highest-ranking artists on the Power 100 list operate programs that benefit their local communities, noting that Mahama exemplifies this trend. "He's not acting as this classic idea of the sole artist producing his own flashes of genius, but also as a person who's part of a community," Rappolt explained, highlighting how contemporary influential artists are increasingly engaged in broader cultural and social initiatives.
The annual Power 100 ranking, which has been published for 24 years, is compiled by thirty anonymous experts from around the world who evaluate the influence and impact of figures in the contemporary art world. Mahama's historic achievement as the first African to top this influential list marks a significant milestone in recognizing the global reach and importance of contemporary African art.
