Ibrahim Mahama, Alhassan Zepligu 2015-2020
cardboard, iron
The project is a winner of the public notice PAC2020 – Plan for Contemporary Art, promoted by the General Directorate for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture
Collection of Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee – Museo Madre
The work Alhassan Zepligu by Ibrahim Mahama consists of a line of shelves, reminiscent of the structures used to store goods, which house hats made from sacks of the cement used in building construction. ‘Zepligu’ means hat in the Dabgani language, one of the most widely used languages in the northern part of Ghana. Alhassan is the name of an acquaintance of the artist who makes these hats for construction workers. Italian workers wear similar hats made of folded newspaper that have a strong symbolic valence in relation to labour politics. Through the rows of hats in his installation, Mahama evokes the presence of generations of unsung workers without professional protection. The work is part of a research project entitled Parliament of Ghosts that traces the last century of the history of architecture, infrastructure and labour to bring to life in the present past visions of building a better living environment through education, science and an independent and