Ibrahim Mahama

As part of MAPS’ new programme series Tomorrow’s Public Art, we have invited acclaimed Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama to create a new site-specific commission in collaboration with Red Clay Studio and children and young people across Køge Municipality.

Mahama is internationally recognised for his monumental installations made from recycled materials such as jute sacks, tarpaulins and school blackboards – materials that carry traces of global trade, craftsmanship and shared labour. Through collective processes, he transforms these remnants of everyday life into new narratives about place, community and the future.

The project in Køge unfolds in spring 2026, when all local schools will take part in a large-scale collection of reused materials. Around 5,000 children and their families will be invited to contribute, and 100 children and young people will later participate in workshops led by Mahama and his team. Through hands-on making, dialogue and collaboration, the participants become part of the artistic process – exploring how discarded materials can be transformed into something new, and how art can inspire collective agency and imagination.

Based on this process, Mahama will create a public artwork on MAPS’ forecourt – a space between the museum and the city. The work will serve as a meeting place for reflection and exchange, where the social and material dimensions of art unfold in public life.