About
At the center of this framework, the umbrella sits within my artistic practice, and the stool grounds my research practice. The umbrella allows me to think through presence, protection, and ceremony, while the stool reminds me of responsibility, lineage, and the weight of what must be carried forward. Together, they form the heart of how I approach the archive.
Rita Mawuena Benissan (b. 1995, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Lives and works in Accra, Ghana) is a Ghanaian interdisciplinary artist, raised in the United States, 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 collaborates with traditional artisans to breathe life into archival photos, immortalising individual figures and communal scenes while embodying the beauty and power of her people.
Born in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire in 1995 to Ghanaian parents, Rita'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 founded Si Hene to preserve Ghana's chieftaincy and traditional culture. Through the foundation she helped reopen the National Museum of Ghana (2022), served as Chief Curator at the Institute Museum of Ghana, and was Artistic Director of the Open Society Foundations' Restitution Conference in Accra. Si Hene runs the Custodians of Culture Fellowship and Living Structures, a project with the UK National Archives documenting Ghana's forts and castles. In October 2026 Rita opened the Si Hene Cultural Centre in Accra, a membership-based cultural centre.
Rita's work has been exhibited internationally, beginning with Arts + Literature Laboratory in Wisconsin (2021), the Foundation for Contemporary Art at Afrochella Festival in Accra (2021), Dak'Art — Biennale de l'Art Africain Contemporain at the IFAN African Art Museum in Dakar, Senegal (2022), the group show EFIE: The Museum as Home in Dortmund, Germany (2021–22), and Mitchell-Innes & Nash in New York (2023). Her solo exhibition In the World Not of the World, curated by Ekow Eshun at Gallery 1957 in Accra (2023), marked a turning point in her practice. In 2024 she presented her solo exhibition One Must Be Seated at Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town. Her work was featured in Sharjah Biennale 16 in the UAE (2025), and in October 2025 she opened her first solo exhibition in London, The Ones Before Her Were Covered in Gold, at Gallery 1957. She was the first woman and youngest artist to receive the Atrium commission at Zeitz MOCAA, where The Procession, an 18-metre embroidered tapestry installation, was on view from October 2025 to October 2026. In 2026 her work was shown in Ghana! Dreaming Independence, 1957–1976, curated by Damarice Amao at Les Rencontres d'Arles in France. She was also selected to create a new commission for Armstrong in Ghana at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in New York. She is presenting new site-responsive work in Where the Earth Remembers, curated by Marwan Zakhem for Gallery 1957's 10th anniversary in Accra, and in The 2026 Sovereign African Art Prize Finalist Exhibition in Cape Town.
In 2026 Rita was awarded the Grand Prize of The Sovereign African Art Prize, presented by The Sovereign Art Foundation, for We Follow the Lead of Our Own, selected from 29 finalists. Earlier recognition includes the Liu Shiming Artist Grant (2025), shortlisting for the Henrike Grohs Art Award (2024) and the CIRCA Art Prize (2023), and the Racial Justice Award from the African Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (2021).
Rita's works have been acquired by private and institutional collections including Pérez Art Museum Miami, Foundation H, The Dean Collection, The OmenaArt Foundation, Fundación Yannick Y Ben, Paola Pavirani Golinelli, Nicolas Berggruen, The Clark Collection, and Amoako Boafo, among others.
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Publications
Preserving Ghana's chieftaincy and traditional culture — the research ground beneath the artistic practice. The stool reminds me of responsibility, lineage, and the weight of what must be carried forward.
Si Hene was established to create a living archive of Ghanaian royal culture — documenting, preserving, and reimagining the objects, ceremonies, and figures that form the foundation of the artistic work. The name itself carries authority: Si Hene is a declaration of cultural custodianship.
In October 2026, Si Hene opened its own home in Accra, a membership-based cultural centre housed in a repurposed former pharmaceutical factory at 128 Ring Road East. The centre was inaugurated during Accra Cultural Week, organised with Gallery 1957.
Members and visitors can use a reading room, the ARCHIVE Lab, a rotating exhibition space, the Forum and an open-air courtyard. The collection holds photographs, newspapers, stamps, fabric, documents and first-edition books on Ghanaian, African and diasporan history, some donated and some acquired by Rita as an act of personal restitution.
Si Hene has worked with the National Museum of Ghana, the James Barnor Foundation and the Open Society Foundations on workshops, cultural programming and archiving.
The Custodians of Culture Fellowship, a 17-week programme, trains the next generation of Ghanaian heritage stewards in ethical, community-centred archiving. In 2026 Si Hene began Living Structures, an 18-month project to digitally document Ghana's endangered forts, castles and their surrounding communities, supported by the UK National Archives as part of its Passage research initiative.
Exhibitions
Exhibitions marked → open to show the individual works and installation views.
Press
Awards, Scholarships & Grants
Commissions
Residencies
Significant Engagements
For enquiries about works, exhibitions, commissions and the Si Hene archive, please write to the studio.
rita.benissan@gmail.com ↗Winner of The 2026 Sovereign African Art Prize Grand Prize
Rita Mawuena Benissan has been awarded the Grand Prize for We Follow the Lead of Our Own, announced at the Winners Announcement Event in Franschhoek, South Africa.
76 Orange Street Gardens, Cape Town, South Africa