Ibrahim Mahama The Harvest Season Exhibition 2026

Ghanaian contemporary artist Ibrahim Mahama has spent years collecting, dismantling, and rebuilding industrial remnants and everyday objects deemed beyond repair. His artistic practice focuses on what societies leave behind, drawing deep connections to northern Ghana where the enduring legacy of colonial exploitation continues to shape regional identities and power dynamics.

These inquiries culminate in The Harvest Season, Mahama’s major solo exhibition scheduled at Fondation Cartier in Paris from October 22, 2026, to February 28, 2027. Developed alongside nine artists and collectives from the Ghanaian art scene, the presentation integrates large-scale installations, industrial fragments, and open spaces designed for public engagement.

A central installation in the exhibition is Parliament of Ghosts, featuring a collection of traditional Asante wooden stools gathered in Ghana that show signs of damage. These cultural objects mark significant life milestones, from birth ceremonies to the coronation of community leaders. Many similar African artifacts were removed during the colonial era and placed inside Western museum displays. Mahama negotiated with owners to bring these stools to his Red Clay art center in Tamale, where schoolchildren participated in their restoration.

"We were not thinking of these objects as ethnographic objects. We’re just thinking of them as living beings."

Ibrahim Mahama

Rather than hiding the scars of damage, Mahama views them as vital components of the objects' ongoing history. Transporting these stools to Paris creates a parliamentary setup where museum visitors can gather to debate contemporary cultural and historical questions, challenging conventional museum frameworks and advocating for institutional spaces to embrace radical dialogue.