Mariane Ibrahim
Mariane Ibrahim-Lenhardt is a Somali-French art dealer based in Chicago, Illinois. She runs the eponymous Mariane Ibrahim Gallery.
Early life and career
Mariane Ibrahim Abdi was born in Nouméa, New Caledonia and grew up in SomalilandJanelle Zara (20 June 2018), [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/20/t-magazine/black-art-dealers.html Why Have There Been No Great Black Art Dealers?] T: The New York Times Style Magazine. and France. She studied advertising in London and worked in marketing in the United Kingdom. In the early 2000s, a trip to Paris started her interest in contemporary African art after she saw a photograph by Seydou Keïta being sold.
Gallery
In 2012, Ibrahim founded the M. I. A. Gallery in Seattle as a way to showcase artists from underrepresented regions such as Africa and the Middle East, focusing primarily on African and African diaspora artists. M. I. A. was an acronym for both the phrase "Missing in Art" and her birth name. She opened the gallery with an exhibit of photos from the Malian artist Malick Sidibé. By 2015, she served on the selection committee for the second Seattle Art Fair.Hannah Ghorashi (16 December 2015), [https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/seattle-art-fair-names-selection-committee-for-2016-edition-5535/ Seattle Art Fair Names Selection Committee for 2016 Edition] ARTnews. In 2017, Ibrahim won the first Presents booth prize at The Armory Show for her exhibition of photography and textile artist, Zohra Opoku.
The gallery's name was changed to Mariane Ibrahim Gallery and in September 2019 Ibrahim moved her gallery to Chicago, Illinois in the West Town neighborhood. She opened the new gallery with an exhibition of Ayana V. Jackson's photography titled, "Take Me to the Water," which explored African water spirits. In 2021, a second space opened in a renovated three-story space on Avenue Matignon in Paris’s 8th arrondissement.Andy Battaglia (8 March 2021), [https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/mariane-ibrahim-gallery-opens-paris-location-1234585845/ Chicago’s Mariane Ibrahim Gallery Plans New Location in Paris, Expanding Reach for Art from the African Diaspora] ARTnews. In 2022, the gallery announced plans to add a two-level, {{convert|10000|sqft|m2|abbr=on|disp=flip}} exhibition space in Mexico City’s Cuauhtémoc neighborhood.Maximilíano Durón (24 November 2022), [https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/mariane-ibrahim-mexico-city-location-1234647739/ Dealer Mariane Ibrahim to Open Gallery in Mexico City Next February] ARTnews. In 2023, Jackson's work was again prominently showcased at Ibrahim's gallery in Mexico City, following a major exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art.{{Cite news |last=Woodcock |first=Victoria |date=2023-12-12 |title=New games with Old Masters |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/08b57471-f7d0-46a6-85c3-45f93d2f9f1d |access-date=2023-12-27}}
Among others, Mariane Ibrahim's gallery has represented artists including Amoako Boafo,Claire Selvin (November 13, 2019), [https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/rubell-museum-amoako-boafo-13565/ Megacollecting Rubells Anoint Rising Star Amoako Boafo with Residency, Show in New Miami Museum] ARTnews. Florine Démosthène,Andy Battaglia (15 February 2019), [https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/mariane-ibrahim-gallery-moving-chicago-11907/ Mariane Ibrahim, Ascendant Dealer of African Art, Moves Gallery to Chicago] ARTnews. Clotilde Jiménez,Andy Battaglia (9 September 2019), [‘It’s a Rip-Off’: Mariane Ibrahim Gallery Takes on Shipping Company Over Lost Artwork ‘It’s a Rip-Off’: Mariane Ibrahim Gallery Takes on Shipping Company Over Lost Artwork] ARTnews. Thenjiwe Nkosi,Andy Battaglia (15 February 2019), [https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/mariane-ibrahim-gallery-moving-chicago-11907/ Mariane Ibrahim, Ascendant Dealer of African Art, Moves Gallery to Chicago] ARTnews. Zohra Opoku,Andy Battaglia (15 February 2019), [https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/mariane-ibrahim-gallery-moving-chicago-11907/ Mariane Ibrahim, Ascendant Dealer of African Art, Moves Gallery to Chicago] ARTnews. Ferrari Sheppard,Maximilíano Durón (16 February 2022), [https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/ferrari-sheppard-mariane-ibrahim-gallery-representation-1234619156/ Mariane Ibrahim to Represent Ferrari Sheppard, Los Angeles Artist on the Rise] ARTnews. and Lina Iris Viktor.Andy Battaglia (9 September 2019), [https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/mariane-ibrahim-shipping-company-lost-work-13198/ ‘It’s a Rip-Off’: Mariane Ibrahim Gallery Takes on Shipping Company Over Lost Artwork ‘It’s a Rip-Off’: Mariane Ibrahim Gallery Takes on Shipping Company Over Lost Artwork] ARTnews.
Controversy
In 2018, Ibrahim supported artist Lina Iris Viktor in a lawsuit against rapper Kendrick Lamar and R&B star SZA over allegations that a music video for their song “All the Stars” — featured on the soundtrack to the movie Black Panther — drew from Viktor’s work without permission. The parties later agreed to settle on terms that could not be discussed as part of the agreement, though not before 10 months of high-profile media attention was paid to issues surrounding artists’ rights.Andy Battaglia (9 September 2019), [https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/mariane-ibrahim-shipping-company-lost-work-13198/ ‘It’s a Rip-Off’: Mariane Ibrahim Gallery Takes on Shipping Company Over Lost Artwork ‘It’s a Rip-Off’: Mariane Ibrahim Gallery Takes on Shipping Company Over Lost Artwork] ARTnews.
Personal life
References
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{{cite web |last1=Battaglia |first1=Andy |title=The ARTnews Accord: Touria El Glaoui and Mariane Ibrahim in Conversation |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/touria-el-glaoui-mariane-ibrahim-artnews-accord-10628/ |website=ARTnews |accessdate=10 June 2020 |date=25 July 2018}}
{{cite web |last1=Belmont |first1=Sarah |title=‘I just wanted people’s attention’: dealer Mariane Ibrahim on championing young artists of the African diaspora |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/interview/i-just-wanted-people-s-attention-dealer-mariane-ibrahim-on-championing-young-artists-of-the-african-diaspora |website=The Art Newspaper |accessdate=11 June 2020 |date=29 November 2019}}
{{cite web |last1=Gerlis |first1=Melanie |title=Gallerist Mariane Ibrahim — ‘art has to tell a form of truth’ |url=https://www.ft.com/content/92d6e0c6-0d4b-11ea-8fb7-8fcec0c3b0f9 |website=Financial Times |accessdate=14 June 2020 |date=28 November 2019}}
{{cite web |last1=Voon |first1=Claire |title=The Meteoric Rise of Gallerist Mariane Ibrahim, Champion of African Diasporic Art |url=https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-meteoric-rise-gallerist-mariane-ibrahim-champion-african-diasporic-art |website=Artsy |accessdate=14 June 2020 |language=en |date=17 February 2020}}
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