Keypoints:
- Mahama tops ArtReview’s Power 100
- Invests profits in Ghana art centres
- Artist-led institutions reshape global art
GHANAIAN artist Ibrahim Mahama has been named the most influential figure in global contemporary art by ArtReview, becoming the first person from the African continent to top its Power 100 list. The 24th edition of the ranking highlights individuals who have shaped art over the past year and reflects growing influence from artists working outside traditional centres.
Mahama gained international visibility over the past decade for large-scale installations built from stitched jute sacks and repurposed textiles, including discarded material from Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana’s cocoa trade. These giant textile surfaces have been draped over buildings in Africa, Europe and the United States, transforming everyday materials into monumental reflections on labour, trade and history.
ArtReview said Mahama’s impact comes not only from his artistic work but from his commitment to building infrastructure that allows other artists to develop their practice. It described him as a figure who ‘creates the means for others to realise their visions’.
Investing in art institutions at home
In recent years, Mahama has directed his sales profits from leading international galleries into a network of art spaces in his hometown of Tamale. These include Red Clay Studio, the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art (SCCA) and Nkrumah Volini. The spaces host residencies, student projects, workshops for children and exhibitions, while also nurturing research and education programmes.
According to ArtReview, this model represents a shift in the global art world, as artists increasingly build their own institutions rather than relying on traditional museums and galleries. Mahama’s work is seen as emblematic of a generation taking greater control over how art is produced, supported and shown.
The magazine noted that Mahama uses his position within the global art market to reflect on questions of exploitation and extraction, linking the economic systems of contemporary art to histories of production in West Africa. His approach has made him a reference point for discussions about new ways of supporting artistic communities.
Artist-led change across the sector
Mahama’s position at the top of the list reflects a broader trend towards artists developing their own platforms. This year’s top ten includes figures who are directing biennales, founding residencies or creating new art centres. Egyptian artist Wael Shawky is curating an art fair, while Singapore’s Ho Tzu Nyen is organising a biennale.
Other artists named for building institutions include Mark Bradford, Yinka Shonibare and Tracey Emin, alongside Wolfgang Tillmans, Theaster Gates and Marina Abramović, who have developed their own schools or cultural spaces. ArtReview said these efforts show a ‘desire to bring artmaking closer to artworld-making’.
Groups such as Forensic Architecture and blaxTARLINES have also been recognised for reinventing how their work is distributed and who their audiences are, often operating outside commercial and governmental power centres.
Changing funding geography
The list highlights a growing presence of figures from the Gulf, such as Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, whose investments in arts and culture are shifting the geography of influence. ArtReview said significant funding cuts in traditional art hubs such as the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom are encouraging artists and curators to work in new locations.
It noted that museums in established art capitals are facing financial pressure and programming challenges, while many mid-level galleries have closed. At the same time, several major private patrons are bypassing galleries to support artists directly through private institutions and production funds.
Snapshot of an artworld in transition
The Power 100 is compiled by a panel of around 30 figures from across the global art world. Those included must have shaped the art being made and shown now, have been active over the past year, and have influence that extends beyond their local scene. First published in 2002, the ranking has become one of the most widely read indicators of influence in contemporary art.
ArtReview said this year’s list captures ‘a complex social system’ rather than a purely economic or aesthetic view of art, reflecting the emergence of new networks, new funding models and new forms of institutional support.
