Mahama was born in Tamale, Ghana in 1987. In 2010, he earned a BFA in Painting from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana; and in 2013, earned an MFA in Painting and Sculpture from the same institution. Mahama is perhaps best known for his large-scale works made from jute sacks. Made in Southeast Asia before being imported to Ghana, jute sacks are used in markets and to transport goods such as food, charcoal and coal.
To Mahama, the sacks represent a complex global exchange system and freedom of movement afforded to goods over people. Often, he works with collaborators to stitch tattered sacks together to create enormous patchwork quilts, which are draped over buildings including theatres, museums and apartments. In 2015, Mahama gained international attention when he used jute sacks to encase public structures in Athens, and a long outdoor corridor in the Arsenale complex at the Venice Biennale.