Available Now: 'On a spaceship' by Ibrahim Mahama for the Frieze x Deutsche Bank Emerging Curators Fellowship
A new artist edition to support a placement for Black and POC emerging curators at the Whitworth
A new artist edition to support a placement for Black and POC emerging curators at the Whitworth
Frieze and Deutsche Bank announce the return of the Emerging Curators Fellowship, a national initiative supporting emerging Black and POC curators. The initiative is a collaborative project, bringing together artists and organizations across the non-profit and private sector to increase accessibility, representation and social mobility within the arts as well as creating an opportunity to grow and deepen curatorial practice in some of the UK’s leading public art institutions.
Alongside Deutsche Bank and Frieze funding, the fellowship programme will be supported by proceeds from the sale of a unique work and an artist-led edition by renowned Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama.
The 2022 fellow will work with The Whitworth, an established institution committed to decolonizing art and its spaces through practices of care, accessibility, representation and social mobility.
About the Frieze x Deutsche Bank Emerging Curators Fellowship
The fellow will join the Collections and Exhibitions team and will work on the Whitworth museum’s anniversary programme as a core piece of their work throughout 2022-23. They will also have the opportunity to receive funding to carry out a piece of practice-based research as part of the Fellowship. The Fellow will have access to mentoring sessions with the members of the Frieze team and Deutsche Bank business support and will undergo practical training, one-to-one mentoring as well as continuous professional development in the role. The fourth iteration of the initiative follows successful fellowships at V&A East, Chisenhale Gallery and BALTIC.
About Ibrahim Mahama's Edition
The edition On a spaceship (2019-2022) by Ibrahim Mahama features an image of building work in progress at Mahama’s Red Clay studio complex in Tamale, overlaid with archival imagery from a former state- run paint factory in Tema, Ghana. Initially established by the Ghanaian State in the period of post- Independence, the paint factory was privatised in the 1990s and later deserted. While setting up a temporary studio in the empty building some years ago, Mahama came across an abandoned trove of documents from the factory, which he then began to physically incorporate into his work.
Red Clay, Mahama’s ambitious new studio complex which hosts workshops, screenings and local communities, provides the backdrop to the black and white image of a worker from the paint factory. In exploring the layering of history, industry and political exigency that embodies aspects of Ghana’s past, Mahama has noted ‘I’m interested in these voids in history. We’re like time travellers: we now know how history plays out, how capital becomes more brutal. What decisions could we have made differently?’
On a spaceship (2019-2022) is available as an edition of 30 and priced at £800 + VAT each, with 100% of sales proceeds benefiting the fellowship. Or you can also enter a prize draw to win the edition, by making the donation of your choice.
