Ibrahim Mahama to Transform Kunsthalle Bern with Monumental Jute Sack Installation

Jephthah Nana Adjei Osei - Mensah
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Ibrahim Mahama to Transform Kunsthalle Bern with Monumental Jute Sack Installation
Ibrahim Mahama

Renowned Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama is set to make a bold statement in the art world by wrapping Switzerland’s Kunsthalle Bern in jute sacks from April 30 to June 1, 2025. This ambitious large-scale installation, announced today, responds to the iconic 1968 wrapping of the same building by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, while offering a critical lens on colonial trade legacies, labor, and the Eurocentric art canon.

Mahama, born in 1987 in Tamale, Ghana, is celebrated for his provocative installations that repurpose materials steeped in historical and socio-political significance. His signature medium—jute sacks, once used to transport cocoa, coal, and other commodities—serves as both an artistic and archival document, bearing the marks of human labor and global trade. For this project, Mahama will drape the Kunsthalle Bern in these weathered sacks, creating a visually striking and conceptually layered public sculpture.




The installation pays homage to Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s 1968 wrapping of the Kunsthalle, the first building they ever enveloped, marking a pivotal moment in contemporary art history. However, Mahama’s intervention goes beyond aesthetic tribute. By using jute sacks, he confronts the colonial footprint of Swiss mercantile relationships with Ghana, particularly through the cocoa trade, which was introduced to the region by the Basel Mission in 1857. The sacks, produced in Southeast Asia and imported by Ghana’s cocoa authority (Cocobod), embody the entangled histories of extraction, exploitation, and global capitalism.

“This project is about reclaiming narratives,” Mahama said in a statement. “The jute sacks carry the sweat, names, and stories of workers across borders. By wrapping the Kunsthalle, I’m layering past and present, inviting viewers to question the Eurocentric frameworks that have shaped art history and the labor conditions that underpin global trade.”

The installation also interrogates the Kunsthalle Bern’s role in shaping the Western contemporary art canon, challenging its historical Eurocentrism. Mahama’s collaborative process, involving local workers and artisans who collect, sort, and stitch the sacks, underscores his commitment to community-driven artmaking and the visibility of marginalized labor.

The project has already sparked significant buzz in the art community. Posts on X reflect excitement about Mahama’s intervention, with users praising its bold engagement with colonial legacies and its dialogue with Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s legacy. “Mahama’s work is a powerful reclamation of space and history,” one post noted, highlighting the installation’s potential to reshape perceptions of art and its institutions.

Running from April 30 to June 1, 2025, the installation will transform the Kunsthalle Bern into a temporary monument to labor, memory, and resistance. Visitors are invited to engage with the work’s tactile and visual impact while reflecting on the complex histories it unearths. As Mahama continues to push boundaries, this project promises to be a defining moment in his career and a catalyst for global conversations about art, history, and justice.

 

 

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