Rita Mawuena Benissan Cote D'Ivoire, b. 1995

Born in Abidjan, Cote 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 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 served as the artistic director for the Open Society Foundation's Restitution Conference in Accra, demonstrating her commitment to cultural preservation and representation.

Rita's artistic prowess has garnered attention globally, with exhibitions at prestigious venues such as Arts + Literature Laboratory in Wisconsin (2021), the Foundation Contemporary of Art, 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 rewriting the narrative of Ghanaian identity through beauty and strength. Rita 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 Unlimites III (2024), curated by Marwan Zakhem, "the African Family."

Rita's works have been acquired by provate and institutional collections, including Foundation H, The Dean Collection, Fundación Yannick Y Ben, Paola Pavirani Golinelli,Nicolas Berggruen, Amoako Boafo, and many others.

Rita 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 later this year and the Sharjah Biennale in UAE in early 2025.