Vic Mensa's 'SKIN + MASKS' Exhibit Puts a Spotlight on the Diaspora's Most Talented Artists

The pieces by the artists explore understanding and expressing Black identity from the perspective of individual reality. One standout piece is Khanyisa’s ‘Wonder Where I’d Be Had I Not Placed Desirability at the Forefront of My Identity. The piece is a stunning and somewhat depressing sculptural painting that addresses individuals prioritizing how other people see them.

A popular rapper in the United States, Mensa is known for using his platform as an artist and activist to draw attention to social issues, especially those affecting marginalized communities. He also has a history of inspiring individuals to think critically about socio-political issues through the power of music and visual arts, while blending elements from his upbringing to the continent.

“If you look at the performances that were employed in the show, I combined a style of dance and music from the ghettos of Chicago called Footwork and juke music with the Djembe and like [a] futuristic African mask," Mensa said. "I think the drums themselves are a living breathing representation of an unbreakable African identity... Those intrinsic modes of communication and expression to me encapsulate and accomplish the goal of an unbreakable identity beyond only existing in proximity to whiteness.”

All proceeds from the ‘SKIN + MASKS’ exhibition will go to SaveMoneySaveLife, the Chicago-based non-profit organization Mensa founded. The non-profit will use the money to fund an arts program in Accra that will help create infrastructure and provide resources to emerging artists.

“There are so many talented artists in Ghana... and often, [what] separates access to industry and capital at the end of the day is resources and information,” Mensa said. “Same way where I live in Chicago, we as African people in America, in Ghana, and everywhere are just boundlessly talented, and wherever possible, I want to be able to provide resources and opportunities for those that don’t have [them.]”

In addition to everything he’s got going on, he is also “working on addressing [the] enormous divide and lack of collaboration between Black American artists and artists on the [African] continent.”

He mentioned the experiences of meeting fans of his music, and that of his friends, and the realization that they usually perform all over the world but hardly do so in Africa. Mensa's first performance in Ghana came only this year, despite the fact the West African country is his father's homeland.

Mensa says that he and other people around the world are “really trying” to create a global coalition that would encourage Black artists to regularly perform on the continent via “some type of festival.”

“I recognize that with privilege comes responsibility and also [an] opportunity,” Mensa said. “And so I am taking that on to help break down those misunderstandings between Black people on and off the [African] continent.”