German Ambassador to Ghana Frederik Landshöft and his wife Lisa Landshöft hosted a reception at the German Residence in Accra to celebrate artist Ibrahim Mahama's 2026 Arnold Bode Prize. The event brought together members of Ghana's arts community and representatives of the Goethe-Institut and the German Academic Exchange Service to honour Mahama's contributions to contemporary art and cultural infrastructure.
Mahama, a 39-year-old Tamale-born artist, was praised by Landshöft for his practice of reclaiming everyday materials to examine labour, migration and trade. Landshöft's personal favourite is Mahama's installation Parliament of Ghosts, which portrays a chamber where different generations and voices meet. This resonated with Landshöft's own 15 years working in and around the German Bundestag.
The Arnold Bode Prize, awarded by the City of Kassel, was presented to Mahama on October 29 at the Kasseler Kunstverein. The €10,000 prize is named after Arnold Bode, who founded the documenta international contemporary art exhibition in Kassel in 1955. Mahama's connection to Kassel dates back to documenta 14 in 2017, when he created an installation at the city's historic Torwache gatehouse.
Mahama has founded three institutions in and around Tamale: the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art, Nkrumah Voli-ni in a converted grain silo, and Red Clay Studio. These spaces allow young artists to experiment outside traditional global art capitals. Landshöft noted that Mahama's focus on the next generation is at the heart of what he is building.
The reception at the German Residence featured a presentation by Mahama and a conversation with Rebekka Macht, a German visual artist based in Accra and Berlin, on cross-cultural dialogue. Landshöft praised Mahama's German partnerships, adding a tribute to the artist's work in northern Ghana, where the ambassador undertook a working visit earlier this year.
Mahama's current major exhibition at the Fondation Cartier in Paris runs until February 2027. His gallery, White Cube, notes that he joined the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Programme in 2017 and staged a solo show at the daadgalerie in 2018.
The Arnold Bode Prize is a biennial honour established in 1980. It was awarded on the advice of the Arnold Bode Foundation's trustees, with a laudation by documenta 16 artistic director Naomi Beckwith.
Key points
- The 2026 Arnold Bode Prize was awarded to Ibrahim Mahama for his contributions to contemporary art and cultural infrastructure.
- Mahama's installations, such as Parliament of Ghosts, examine labour, migration and trade.
- The artist has founded three institutions in northern Ghana to support young artists.
