Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama collaborated with hundreds of African artisans to create “Purple Hibiscus”, an installation of fuchsia fabric covering the brutalist facade overlooking the lake of the Barbican Centre in London, part of the Barbican Art Gallery’s exhibition titled “Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art”. “Purple Hibiscus” takes its name from the debut novel of Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in 2003 and is Mahama’s first installation with vibrant colors.

Approximately 130 batakaris, the typical traditional robes of northern Ghana, have been sewn onto the embroidered fabric, worn by people of any social class and passed down through families from generation to generation. The batakaris were sewn onto the fabric as decorations, enriching the work with their stories. “I’ve never had the courage to use colors like this in public on a large-scale work, but I’ve been collecting these materials for quite a long time,” said the artist, who obtained the various batakaris over the years through bartering.

Mahama’s work is often compared to that of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, but while it’s true that the duo had a fundamental influence on Mahama in terms of artistic quality and courage, the artist emphasized that his main focus is the historical memory embedded in handmade textiles.