By Michael Foli Jackidy
Ho (V/R), May 9, GNA – Mr Ebenezer Fiifi Mensah, a lecturer at the Department of Industrial Art, Ho Technical University (HTU), has launched a solo art exhibition in Ho, exploring themes of identity, memory, leadership and environmental sustainability through monumental charcoal sculptures.
The exhibition, dubbed “Black Mimesis,” is being hosted at the Volta Regional Museum and features a series of sculptural busts created from a blend of charcoal powder and resin.
Speaking at the opening on Friday, May 8, Mr Mensah said his sculptural practice was grounded in a critical inquiry into material representation in contemporary art and how materials could be transformed to generate new meanings and visual narratives.
“My sculpture practice is particularly interested in how materials carry histories, symbolism and cultural memory, and how their reconfiguration creates powerful artistic discourse,” he said.
He explained that the exhibition featured portraits of past and present presidents of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, using the subjects’ gaze and facial expressions to engage themes of leadership, continuity and collective identity.
According to him, the works drew inspiration from the theory and practice of mimesis, moving beyond mere imitation to become interpretive reconstructions of memory, presence and historical consciousness.
“These portraits function as cultural artifacts that connect individual histories with collective remembrance. They invite reflection on ancestry, authority and the enduring relevance of traditional institutions within contemporary society,” he said.
Mr Mensah said one of the key innovations in the exhibition was the repositioning of charcoal from its traditional use as a drawing medium into monumental sculptural forms.
He noted that the approach challenged conventional boundaries between drawing and sculpture, while expanding the expressive possibilities of black materiality in contemporary art.
The artist said sustainability remained central to his artistic process, explaining that he collected discarded charcoal fragments and waste grit from market spaces and transformed them into raw materials for sculpture production.
“This transformation of waste into art reflects ecological responsibility and the renewed value of overlooked matter,” he said.
Mr Mensah added that the use of charcoal powder also helped reduce environmental nuisance caused by charcoal waste in market centres after trading activities.
He described charcoal in the exhibition as both a material and a metaphor, with its deep black tonality symbolising blackness, identity, sacredness and memory.
Madam Rejoice Makafui Tsotorvor, Curator of the exhibition, said Black Mimesis stood at the intersection of environmental consciousness and sculptural innovation.
She explained that the exhibition explored the transformation of discarded charcoal grit from Ghanaian market spaces into a medium for profound artistic expression.
“In this collection, charcoal powder is no longer a fleeting tool for drawing; it has become a structural agent,” she said.
Madam Tsotorvor said the synthesis of charcoal powder and resin created a striking matte black surface that explored themes of identity, permanence and memory.
She noted that the artist’s studio-based and experimental process challenged traditional limits of sculpture and demonstrated how environmental waste could be transformed into vessels of cultural identity and artistic innovation.
“Black Mimesis invites us to reconsider the agency of materials and the power of memory, proving that within discarded everyday matter lies the potential to transmit history and human experience,” she said.
Mr Osborne Noah Tam, Education Officer at the Volta Regional Museum, described Mr Mensah as a passionate sculptor and researcher whose works reflected a deep commitment to contemporary sculptural forms and unconventional materials.
He said the artist had contributed immensely to the training and mentorship of emerging artists and designers through his teaching and studio practice.
Mr Tam noted that Mr Mensah’s philosophy of art encouraged critical thinking, experimentation and the integration of traditional cultural elements into contemporary artistic expression.
“The artworks are timeless because they capture the historic era of our traditional rulers while blending contemporary artistic interpretations with sacred representations of traditional leadership,” he said.
He described the exhibition as one of the first of its kind in the Volta region.
Mr Mensah holds Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees in Sculpture from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme at the University of Education, Winneba.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/ Lydia Kukua Asamoah