Purple Hibiscus, a massive textile installation by Ibrahim Mahama covering the entire lakeside facade, is now up at The Barbican in London until the 18th August.
The photos below were taken during the installation.
Part of the current exhibition Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art , this was created with hundreds of people from Tamale in Ghana. 100 batakaris, robes worn by Ghanaian kings and warriors, have been stitched onto the woven ground.
It’s odd to see these treasured robes, often passed down the generations, subjected to the vicissitudes of the British weather. They are, however, testament to their history and to the people who wore them.
