Daniel Mensah
The Ga carpenter and fantasy coffin artist Daniel Mensah, called also Hello, works as an independent artist and carpenter in Teshie, Greater Accra Region, Ghana.
Biography
Born in 1968 in Teshie, Daniel Mensah did his six-year apprenticeship from 1984 until 1990 with the Ga coffin artist Paa Joe who was trained by Kane Kwei (1924-1992) in Teshie. When Daniel Mensah finished his apprenticeship he worked eight more years with Paa Joe in Nungua as a master carpenter until he opened in 1998 his own studio called "Hello Design Coffin Works" in Teshie. Daniel Mensah participated in various art exhibitions in Europe and in some European film projects, like "Sépulture sur mesure" from Philippe Lespinasse. Some of his fantasy coffins are in the collection of the British Museum in London, in the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich and in private art collections.
exhibitions (selection)
- 2011 Ghanaian „fantasy Coffin“, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia.
- 2009 until 2010 Living and Dying Gallery, British Museum, London.
Documentary film (selection)
- 2011 „Hidden Treasure of Africa“, Griff Rhys Jones, BBC London.
- 2009 "Ghana, Sépulture sur mesure", Philippe Lespinasse, Grand Angle Productions, France TV5.
Bibliography
Regula Tschumi. 2008. The Buried Treasures of the Ga. Coffin Art in Ghana. Benteli, p. 122 -123; 229.