Fragments Reclaimed: A Return to the Canvas
Rising from a protracted silence marked by scientific pursuits {and professional} detours, Richard Mensah re-entered the artwork world not as a newcomer, however as somebody reclaiming a language that had all the time been his. Born in Ghana and now primarily based within the UK, Mensah’s path defies linear storytelling. His inventive instincts have been obvious from a younger age, however societal expectations steered him towards engineering. The shift didn’t sever his connection to artwork—it merely paused it. In 2017, after fifteen years away from the comb, a drive inside reawakened, drawing him again with simple urgency. That 12 months was not merely a return; it was a reawakening, one which marked the true begin of his skilled journey and a reclamation of a voice that had all the time lingered beneath the floor.
Mensah’s identification as a self-taught artist considerably shapes his course of and outcomes. With no formal instruction to mould his strategy, his model advanced organically, unbound by conference or institutional method. This freedom interprets into a creative voice that’s uncooked but refined, instinctive but purposeful. Each bit he creates carries the imprint of somebody who has taught himself not simply the best way to paint, however the best way to see—the best way to interpret reminiscence, emotion, and social expertise by way of a visible lens. His time spent in science and engineering, relatively than stifling creativity, has lent his artwork an added layer of depth, encouraging a structured but fluid engagement with type and which means.
The transition from engineering to artwork was not only a profession pivot—it was a reclamation of identification. Mensah didn’t step into the artwork world to undertake a brand new persona; he returned to get better an previous one. His rediscovery of portray after years of technical focus serves as a robust testomony to the sturdiness of ardour and the inexorable pull of inventive function. It’s a narrative of reconnection—not simply with paint and canvas, however with self-expression, cultural commentary, and a want to speak experiences that transcend phrases. Artwork, for Mensah, turned each compass and mirror—a approach to navigate private historical past and maintain it up for communal reflection.
Richard Mensah: Narratives in Movement and Stillness
Mensah’s model resists simple classification, flowing between abstraction and realism with a confidence that displays his intuitive strategy. Fairly than starting with detailed sketches or strict ideas, he embraces spontaneity. The method usually begins with a single thought or feeling, permitting intuition to take the lead. His fascination with motion, form, gentle, and tone transforms his canvases into dynamic areas the place type and emotion coexist. This enables his work to keep up a sure pressure—the place readability and ambiguity improve, relatively than obscure, the message. By this stability, Mensah invitations viewers into an emotional dialogue that feels private but universally resonant.
Themes in Mensah’s work are closely anchored within the Black expertise, each historic and modern. His work navigate advanced social and cultural terrains—grappling with systemic inequality, heritage, and resilience. A recurring topic in his portfolio is the erasure of Black presence in shared public areas, together with references to the historic exclusion from swimming swimming pools and related establishments. On the identical time, he celebrates the cultural renaissance flourishing inside Black communities. By channeling each injustice and triumph into his items, Mensah acts as each a chronicler and a catalyst—utilizing artwork to ask questions, provoke thought, and affirm identification.
One in every of Mensah’s most impactful works, Taken, exemplifies this dedication to socially charged storytelling. The portray emerged from a deeply private encounter—a police stop-and-search incident that left him feeling dehumanized and profiled. This second of vulnerability and confrontation reworked into a robust visible assertion. Accomplished throughout the international outcry following George Floyd’s loss of life, Taken turned not solely a private catharsis but in addition a communal reckoning. It confronts the viewer with the tough realities of racial profiling whereas providing a poignant exploration of worry, dignity, and resistance. The synchronicity of its creation with worldwide protests infused it with added urgency and emotional weight.
Between Floor and Substance
Supplies play an important position in how Mensah articulates which means. Whereas oil paint stays his main medium—chosen for its richness, versatility, and depth—he frequently experiments with different supplies that add tactile complexity to his compositions. Incorporating material, leather-based, rope, sandpaper, and modeling paste, he crafts multi-dimensional works that have interaction the senses past sight. These blended media explorations not solely increase the physicality of his artwork but in addition mirror the layered nature of the themes he explores. The textures usually operate as metaphors, reflecting the friction, resilience, and multiplicity embedded in cultural identification and private historical past.
Mensah’s inventive surroundings is designed to maintain intense focus and immersion. His studio is a sanctuary the place distractions are intentionally shut out. With important instruments at hand—paints, brushes, palette knives, and chosen surfaces—he enters a psychological area the place artwork and emotion intertwine seamlessly. Music and audiobooks accompany his course of, not as background noise, however as mood-setters that affect rhythm and tone. This surroundings permits him to stay absolutely absorbed within the work, enabling a state the place concepts can unfold organically with out exterior disruption. The isolation is just not avoidance however dedication: a deep respect for the method of storytelling by way of visible means.
The artist’s openness to affect extends far past the confines of galleries and studios. Whereas he acknowledges the impression of quite a few artists, his main sources of inspiration are sometimes present in lived experiences and historical past. Cultural shifts, private encounters, and the burden of shared reminiscence inform his inventive selections. His work responds to the world round him, translating remark into narrative. Fairly than mimic or reference different artists overtly, he absorbs a broader human context—permitting the urgency, pressure, and hope present in on a regular basis life to form each bit. His artwork turns into a conduit by way of which collective reminiscence is reframed and re-expressed.
Richard Mensah: Echoes of the Ashanti Drum
Amongst Mensah’s most bold aspirations lies an idea rooted in heritage and cultural introspection—an immersive exhibition devoted to the Ashanti funeral custom. Removed from a morbid investigation, the undertaking goals to discover the colourful and ceremonial features of loss of life inside Ghanaian tradition. By a curated fusion of work, installations, and dwell performances, the exhibition would function an academic and emotional journey, inviting audiences to expertise a perspective on mortality that emphasizes celebration, respect, and communal reminiscence. The undertaking’s multidimensional format displays Mensah’s perception in artwork as a dwelling, respiration dialogue between creator and group.
This envisioned showcase goes past typical gallery presentation. By incorporating dwell efficiency and set up artwork, Mensah seeks to recreate the sensory and symbolic ambiance of an Ashanti funeral—not as spectacle, however as a cultural narrative that calls for consideration and reverence. Guests wouldn’t merely view artwork; they might transfer by way of it, really feel its weight, and maybe, be reworked by its rhythms and meanings. This immersive strategy echoes his broader creative philosophy: that artwork shouldn’t be passively consumed however actively skilled. His goal is to spark conversations round grief, identification, and continuity—how life and loss of life intertwine in methods each private and collective.
For Mensah, the Ashanti undertaking is greater than creative ambition—it’s an act of cultural preservation and reinterpretation. In sharing these rituals with new audiences, he hopes to problem preconceived notions about African traditions and foster a deeper understanding of the values embedded inside them. The undertaking additionally displays his ongoing dedication to bridging his Ghanaian roots together with his present-day experiences within the UK. By reimagining the Ashanti funeral as an immersive narrative, Mensah affords not solely a tribute to his heritage but in addition an invite for cross-cultural engagement—a second the place artwork turns into the bridge between generations, continents, and views.
