Ghanaian artist tops influence list in 'shift of power'

The Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama has become the first African to be named the most influential figure in the art world in ArtReview magazine's annual power list.

- Lanre Bakare

Mahama, whose work often uses found materials including textile remnants, topped the ranking of the contemporary art world's most influential people and organisations as chosen by a global judging panel.

He told the Guardian he felt humbled to be named at the top of a list he first heard about while studying at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana in 2011, when the Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei topped the ranking.

He said: "For me to be part of this, especially coming from a place like Ghana, which for many years was almost as if we were not even part of the discourse, is quite humbling."

Mahama, who is based in Tamale, a city in northern Ghana, said he hoped his success could inspire younger artists in his country to "realise that they are part of the contemporary discourse and not just on the sideline".

Mark Rappolt, ArtReview's editor-in-chief, said the choice of Mahama indicated that the seat of power was shifting in the world of art.