Decades of Dedication
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Timmi Mensah was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1970 to a Danish mother and an African father.
Struggling with his identity as mixed race, in a predominantly white society, he grew up feeling haunted by the color of his skin. He could not identify as Danish nor African, and he longed for a sense of belonging.
He became familiar with hip hop in the early 80 ́s and began tagging his name on the trains at the age of fourteen. One year later, he and his crew “Lyngby Graffiti Boys”, gained major recognition when they appeared on national tv, painting a large mural.
At age seventeen, he went to The Bronx, New York. This was something he had been dreaming of since he was nine years old, when the movie “The Warriors” came out. It was a defining moment, because here he met people of color with self-confidence and pride.
Connecting with the New York City melting pot, was the beginning of a passionate commitment to hip hop. A passion that became a way of life for Timmi Mensah. It was here he, for the first time in his life, felt both accepted and comfortable in his skin. It was also at that time he developed his “wild-style” – a style that allowed for his frustrations and inner pain to be channeled, and at the same time gaining respect amongst others in the hip hop community.
It was clear that Timmi Mensah had an artistic talent, which he developed through the hip hop culture of graffiti.
When Timmi Mensah was eighteen, he got a job at Nordic Film (Nordisk Film), working in the cartoon department. Inspired by the moving images and animation, he continued to draw and eventually began painting at home using oil and acrylic. In order to pay bills, he began tattooing, and is a well renowned tattoo artist to this day.
Timmi Mensah is now presenting a collection of 22 new artworks.
The online exhibition “A Tribute to the Grand Masters” is dedicated to the hip hop culture, featuring several hip hop legends.
This new collection, is born out of a desire to pay homage to the culture that has so profoundly shaped his life. It is a way to express his love for the hip hop culture, as well as the importance of those New York legends, from the 1970 ́s, 80 ́s and 90 ́s.
This particular exhibition, reflects the artists own self-awareness, and the importance of style and originality in a competitive world with role models living the street life, where you never know what tomorrow brings.
The artist is exposing the inner feelings of his soul, a story told from the heart of an African European B-Boy-Graffiti artist.
His techniques with oils on canvas, are not only connected to, but in harmony with the music he listens to. The scratch and beats coming out the speakers while painting, contribute to the energetic movement in the brushstrokes on the canvas.
The brightness of the colors, at times combined with arrows, is symbolic to the determination and willpower of this artist.
“Many feelings were released as I painted this collection A Tribute to the Grand Masters. I felt the music, lyrics, rhythms and movements of the artists guide my brushstrokes, and found myself deeply connected with the creative powers and unifying essence of true and Original Hip Hop.”
– Timmi Mensah