What’s Happening: The museum’s concrete facade has been covered in a billowing bright pink fabric woven with traditional Ghanaian garments.

The Download: The concrete gray facade of London’s Barbican Centre is getting a facelift—at least temporarily. Starting today, the museum is being sheathed in a lustrous magenta fabric that recasts the Brutalist building as a billowing pavilion embroidered with garments that seem to tumble down its side. The textile transformation, titled Purple Hibiscus after Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2003 novel about post-colonial Nigeria, is the work of Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama, who has gained renown for enveloping buildings in stitched jute sacks. But unlike Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the late duo known for similar surrealist stunts, Mahama instead seeks to spark reflection about the human labor and trade inequities his materials embody.

Stitched within the pink jute fabric in a cascading formation are a bunch of batakaris, traditional Ghanaian robes often passed down over generations. Considering that some people liken batakaris to DNA, persuading people to forgo the smocks was no easy task. “Some of them will have to pee on it first because they believe pee or human excrement is a way of desacralizing the material,” Mahama told The Guardian. From large and boxy to dainty and frilly, the garments were woven in by 1,000 seamstresses across the material’s 21,528 square feet, which Mahama sourced in bright pink to contrast with London’s gloomy skies. The project’s enormous scale meant much of the work needed to take place outside at a sports stadium in Tamale, the northern Ghanaian city and Mahama’s hometown, where he helped build three cultural hubs: the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art, the Red Clay Studio, and Nkrumah Volini.

Mahama, a Venice Biennale alum and inaugural recipient of the Dia Art Foundation’s Sam Gilliam Award, has focused his practice on investing in Tamale’s creative sector. Purple Hibiscus is no different—when it wraps in mid-August, the material will return to Ghana for installations around the country. For now, the intervention offers a lesson in British history. The Barbican stands on a former hub for the rag trade in London’s Cripplegate ward, which was flattened during World War II. The installation also arrives amid controversy: it’s part of the Barbican’s textiles exhibition “Unravel,” which saw multiple artists withdraw after the museum canceled plans to host a speech on the Israel-Gaza conflict. Mahama insisted it proceed as planned. “So much hard work has gone into this,” he says. “When [the weavers] see an image of the material covering the building, imagine what it can help to produce in Ghana going forward.”

In Their Own Words: “It’s like doing plastic surgery, but this time you require a soul that dwells within the body, which is immaterial to build on the physical material,” Mahama says. “Collecting the individual smocks from communities can be quite challenging, but also opens up a portal of new formal aesthetics. The scale of the material forms needed some level of freedom, which the space gifted.”

Surface Says: A bright pink museum is far from the weirdest thing we’ve seen grace the London skyline.

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From April 11-14, the Windy City’s international art exhibition returns for its 2024 edition. Claire Oliver’s Harlem brownstone gallery is among the 170 exhibiting at the fair and brings together new work from Bahamian-born multidisciplinary artist Gio Swaby and BK Adams, a Washington, D.C.–based mixed media artist. Fifteen new works from Swaby, including her signature textile portraits, will be on view, as well as Adams’ folkloric tableaus of fatherhood and joy.

Charlee’s dark speakeasy vibe may belie its location in a tony Mumbai suburb lined with old-world bungalows housing Bollywood stars and stylish cafes that serve chia juice, but the Batcave was at the top of Kaviar Collaborative’s design moodboard. Guests enter through a glitzy spirits store before descending into a cave-like watering hole that blends rough-hewn textures with glamorous polished brass details. Gently lit by Japanese-style screens to the side, the dimly lit environs carve the ideal ambiance for a quick nightcap before becoming enveloped in the evening’s mystery. Try the creamy Movie Time, where Bourbon whiskey meets popcorn flavor, a classic Negroni mixed with cacao-infused gin, or an affogato tiramisu martini for an extra burst of energy.

Last week, the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America celebrated its landmark 75th anniversary with a cocktail party at Bibliotheque in New York. Co-hosted by book fair ambassador Jesse Paris Smith, the event took place days before the opening of the ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair, the 64th edition of which returned to the Park Avenue Armory. Guests enjoyed light bites from Épicerie Boulud amid the cocktails and conversation before walking away with a special takeaway from Byredo.

When was it? April 2

Where was it? Bibliotheque, New York

Who was there? Patti Smith, Jayne and Joan Michaels, Walton Ford, Jesse Dorris, David Chang, Sunday Steinkirchner, Varun Kaji, Roze Traore, Nanette Lepore, and more.

When: Until May 4

Where: Galerie Gastou, Paris

What: Béatrice Serre crafts powerful mosaics using fragments of precious and unconventional materials, employing ancient stone cutting techniques to transform them into intricate tesserae. With innovative methods, the French artist seamlessly merges components to create pieces that appear as natural formations, bridging the gap between the infinitesimal and the infinite, and symbolizing unity and harmony. Ranging from jewelry to décor, her work acts as a mesmerizing portal into the universe’s boundless expanse, embodying themes of rebirth and transcendence.

Oh, to picnic in the style of Patricia Urquiola. The Spanish architect sets an aspirational scene of repose with the two- or four-person picnic baskets that include Murano glassware, Ginori 1975 porcelain, and fine silverware from Buccellati’s Tahiti collection. Safe to say, this isn’t a solo-cup affair.

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Tyler Ellis, the daughter of revered fashion designer Perry Ellis, channels her fascination for traveling into an endless current of inspiration. Her accessories line is defined by luxe materials and thoughtful details that embody her worldly palette. Brought to life in a family-owned and operated atelier in Le Sieci, Italy, Tyler Ellis represents an ardent commitment to couture and quality craftsmanship.

Surface Says: Thanks to their sleek silhouettes, Italian hand-craftsmanship, and Ellis’s own keen eye, these expertly made handbags are well-poised to become a new classic in the competitive accessories space.

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