A historic first for the Ghanaian artist and a shift in global cultural influence
Photo: Almudena Caso Burbano. Courtesy the artist and APALAZZOGALLERY
In a milestone moment for contemporary art, Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama has been named the most influential figure in ArtReview’s Power 100 for 2025. It is the first time an artist from the African continent has led the influential annual list, marking a broader reconfiguration of global cultural power. Known for his monumental textile installations and for building community-focused art institutions in Tamale, Mahama embodies a new model of influence that merges artistic production with structural transformation.
Artists as Institution Builders
Mahama’s practice extends far beyond the studio. Over the past decade, he has founded and sustained independent cultural spaces such as Red Clay Studio, the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art and Nkrumah Volini. These sites host residencies, educational programmes and public initiatives that support local and international artists. ArtReview highlights him as representative of a new generation of practitioners who are reimagining influence through institution-making, civic responsibility, and long-term cultural investment.
This shift is mirrored across the Power 100. The 2025 list features artists who also operate as curators, educators and organisers, including Wael Shawky and Ho Tzu Nyen. From running schools to curating major biennials and reactivating communal archives, this cohort signals a broadening understanding of what artistic leadership looks like in the present moment.
Geopolitical Realignments and New Cultural Centres
The list’s upper ranks also underscore the expanding influence of the Gulf states, with figures such as Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi and Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud appearing prominently. Their presence reflects strategic cultural investment across Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, especially as museums and institutions in Europe and the United States face reduced funding and structural instability.
ArtReview positions these developments alongside broader transformations: declining gallery profits, the closure of mid-tier galleries, and a rise in private patronage models that bypass traditional market structures. Galleries that remain influential, including Hauser & Wirth, Experimenter and Goodman Gallery, are recognised for expanded publishing, research and educational programmes that reshape how institutions operate amid economic pressure.
Influence in an Age of Conflict, Technology and Censorship
The 2025 ranking also responds to the turbulent conditions shaping contemporary art. Many individuals on the list are noted not only for their artistic practice but also for their roles in addressing political repression, technological change, and global conflict. As wars intensify and displacement increases worldwide, the Power 100 highlights those whose work engages urgent cultural and ethical questions through research, activism, and community-based platforms.
Compiled by an international panel of around thirty specialists, ArtReview’s Power 100 evaluates influence based on an individual’s impact over the past year and their ability to shape discourse locally and internationally. Now in its twenty-fourth edition, the list offers a snapshot of an art world in the midst of structural change, where decentralisation, collective agency and new institutional models are gaining ground.
Ibrahim Mahama’s position at the top of the list is more than an individual accolade. It signals a broader shift in global cultural gravity and affirms Africa as a site of artistic innovation, institutional imagination and expanding global influence.
ArtReview’s 2025 Power 100 is now live. Explore the complete list here.
