Rita Mawuena Benissan: Artist biography
Photograph by Lauren Theunissen
RITA MAWUENA BENISSAN (b. 1995, Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire. Lives and works in Accra, Ghana) Rita Mawuena Benissan, a Ghanaian-American interdisciplinary artist, is on a mission to reimagine the royal umbrella, transforming it from a mere protective object into a potent symbol of Ghanaian identity. With a profound passion for art and cultural history, Rita Mawuena Benissan collaborates with traditional artisans to breathe life into archival photos, immortalizing individual figures and communal scenes while embodying the beauty and power of her people.
Born in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire in 1995 to Ghanaian parents, Rita Mawuena Benissan’s journey led her to the United States as a baby, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Apparel and Textile Design from Michigan State University in 2017, followed by a Master of Fine Arts in photography and an African Studies Program Certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2021.
In 2020, Rita Mawuena Benissan established Si Hene, a foundation dedicated to preserving Ghana’s chieftaincy and traditional culture, leaving a significant mark on Ghana’s artistic and historical narratives. Through her foundation, she played a pivotal role in the reopening of the National Museum of Ghana in 2022 and served as the Chief Curator at the Institute Museum of Ghana (Noldor Artist Residency) until 2022. Furthermore, Rita Mawuena Benissan served as the artistic director for the Open Society Foundation’s Restitution Conference in Accra, demonstrating her commitment to cultural preservation and representation.
Rita Mawuena Benissan’s artistic prowess has garnered global recognition, with exhibitions at prestigious venues such as Arts + Literature Laboratory in Wisconsin (2021), the Foundation Contemporary of Art at Afrochella Festival (2021), Dak’Art – Biennale de l’Art Africain Contemporain at the IFAN African Art Museum in Dakar, Senegal (2022), and the group show “EFIE: Museum as Home” in Dortmund, Germany, Mitchell and Innes Gallery in New York (2023). Her solo exhibition, “In the World Not of the World,” curated by Ekow Eshun at Gallery 1957 in Accra (2023), stands as a testament to her unwavering dedication to redefining the narrative of Ghanaian identity through beauty and strength. Rita Mawuena Benissan has exhibited at 1-54 Marrakesh, in Morocco (2024) alongside Amoako Boafo and Zanele Muholi and participated in a group exhibition at the Venice Biennale (2024) called Unapologetic WomXn: The Dream is the Truth curated by Destinee Ross-Sutton. She currently has works featured in Unlimited III (2024), curated by Marwan Zahkem, “the African Family.”
Rita Mawuena Benissan’s works have been acquired by private and institutional collections, including Foundation H, The Dean Collection, Fundacion Yannick Y Ben, Paola Pavirani Golinelli, Nicolas Berggruen, Amoako Boafo, and many others.
Rita Mawuena Benissan has an exciting year ahead, with participation in prominent fairs and preparations for her first museum show at Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, South Africa: Rita Mawuena Benissan: One Must Be Seated which is on view through 5 October 2025. The artist will also participate to the Sharjah Biennale in UAE in early 2025.
Biography courtesy of Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town
Zeitz MOCAA - Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa
S Arm Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001
