Halimatu Iddrisu is an IASPIS Artist in residency at Konsthallen Blå stället in Angered, with a guest studio at Konstepidemin. She now invites you to an open studio and small exhibition.

During her time in Gothenburg, she has explored new methods of print and image-making through an experimental process involving photo transfers and jelly printing — a technique she was introduced to here. This process has become a bridge between two places that inform her artistic vision: Tamale, where many of her photographs originate, and Gothenburg, where she has continued to expand her practice.

In this body of work, she has collaborated with women from the neighbourhood ”Hammarkullen”, whose presence and stories has shaped the emotional and cultural texture of the paintings. Each image is painted, layered, and finally cut out to form sculptural, three-dimensional surfaces that challenge the traditional flatness of painting.

By using metallic glitters in place of henna, she reflects on the evolution of henna practices — a transformation that parallels broader shifts in identity, adornment, and self-expression among women in contemporary diasporic communities. The shimmering surfaces invite a conversation between tradition and modernity, between body and image, and between materiality and memory.

The art residency is a part of IASPIS – an international residency programme funded by the Swedish Arts Grants Committee with an invitation from Blå Stället Art hall and Black Archives Sweden.

Halimatu Iddrisu

Halimatu Iddrisu (b. 1997) is an artist based in Kumasi, Ghana. She often draws inspiration from her upbringing in a strict Muslim household, contrasted with the liberation of women’s dress in Ghanaian Muslim society.

She works with color, pastel, chalk, paint, and henna, as well as fabrics and patterns drawn from Ghanaian Muslim fashion, creating layered works that explore the complexity of women’s identities and bodies. Her art challenges cultural expressions and societal expectations. She often incorporates stories and lived experiences of Muslim women she engages with and interviews as part of her practice.

She holds an MA in Fine Art from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.