Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama has been awarded the inaugural Sam Gilliam Award, a new honor presented by the Dia Art Foundation and the Sam Gilliam Foundation. The prize, which includes a $75,000 gift and a public Dia program in the fall of 2024, was established in 2023 to support artists who have made a significant contribution in any medium. This collaboration was presented by Dia with Sam Gilliam’s work from 2019 to 2022.
Born in 1987 in Tamale, Ghana, Mahama is known for his large-scale textile and found object installations, repurposing materials to encourage reflection on the social implications of everyday objects. His work also emphasizes the importance of community collaboration.
“My mentor Kąrî’káchä Seid’ou first introduced me to Gilliam’s important work as a student, and he has had a profound influence on me ever since,” Mahama said in a statement. “The most important aspect of any community is the sharing of their many gifts, even if they are born of precarity, because at that point we extend freedom to all forms of life.”
In recent years, Mahama’s work has been featured in solo exhibitions across Europe, including at Oude Kerk Amsterdam (2022) and Kunsthalle Osnabrück in Germany. His commission at London’s Barbican Center will open in April 2024, followed by a solo exhibition at The Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh.
