ArtReview’s cover story for May concerns the work of Ibrahim Mahama, the artist at the forefront of discussions around museology in Africa, where he is leveraging his fame and influence to shape the creation of arts institutions in his native Ghana and across the continent. J.J. Charlesworth examines the return of magical thinking in contemporary art, an event as regular as the passing of a comet. Rosanna McLaughlin writes about the migration of queer theory from the margins to the mainstream, asking: is this a triumph or a sign of psychic malaise? And Tabita Rezaire contributes a portfolio of work on the subject of spiritual journeys. Also in this issue: responses to the Venice Biennale, fake artworld friends, the favela and the art fair, and war photography in a phone booth. Plus exhibition reviews from Berlin, New York, LA, Zürich, Paris and Edinburgh, and a consideration of strawberries and meringue as a metaphor for the UK’s cost-of-living crisis
