This autumn, the Fondation Cartier in Paris will host Ibrahim Mahama’s highly anticipated exhibition, Le Temps des récoltes, opening in 2026. The show offers a deep exploration of contemporary African art, bringing together the Ghanaian artist and nine invited collaborators in a site-specific installation across the Fondation’s new space at Place du Palais-Royal.
Fondation Cartier showcases African art through Ibrahim Mahama’s vision
A multidisciplinary artist among the most influential of his generation, Ibrahim Mahama is known for transforming collected materials, archives, and industrial fragments into monumental, thought-provoking works. For this exhibition, he reimagines the space as a living entity, reflecting the collaborative dynamics of the art centres he founded in Tamale, northern Ghana. Le Temps des récoltes (The Time of Harvest) evokes the patient cycles of creation: sowing ideas, transmitting knowledge, and gathering the fruits of collective labour. Mahama presents both newly conceived works for the Fondation Cartier and revisited versions of his most emblematic installations.
African art and historical legacies
Mahama’s practice engages with Ghana’s colonial and postcolonial legacies, addressing themes such as labour, sustainability, circulation of goods, and restitution. At Tamale, he works closely with local communities, fostering cultural and pedagogical engagement, while developing a network of independent art institutions across Africa.
Featured works and collaborations
The exhibition also highlights contributions from nine invited artists. Ghanaian photographer James Barnor recreates his legendary Ever Young studio, while Dorothy Akpene Amenuke brings her distinctive jute textile works. Painter Gideon Appah uses archival imagery from Ghana’s independence era to craft dreamlike historical narratives. Other collaborators include architect Courage Dzidula Kpodo, textile artist Zohra Opoku, and the Congolese collective CATPC, whose works explore liberation through art. Contemporary artists such as Tjaša Rener and Feda Wardak examine transnational connections and industrial legacies, resonating with Mahama’s critical engagement with extractivism and infrastructure.
Le Temps des récoltes spans the entirety of the Fondation Cartier’s new space, offering a richly layered encounter with African art and the transformative power of collaborative creation.
Read our interview with Béatrice Grenier, Director of Strategic Projects and International Programmes at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, in which she discusses museums, architectural vision and the intersection of physical and digital art experiences.
