How artist Susan Mensah turned her talent towards the goal of social justice.

When Susan Adwoa Mensah decided to take her talent for art seriously, she had little idea that her work would also help her to fulfil her passion for justice and human rights.

Born in the UK to Ghanaian parents, Susan's early years were split between Ghana, Zambia and the UK. Although her aptitude for painting and drawing was evident from an early age, it was only much later in her life, when recovering from an illness, that Susan began painting seriously.

A self-taught artist, Susan’s passion for art led to her joining the Worple Group, a group of artists based in Wimbledon, London.

Susan's vivid and bold work demonstrates her nostalgia for Africa, with its symbols and cultural images; and it was this love of culture that led her to complete a degree in Human Rights and Social Anthropology.

"This course gave me a much greater insight into the value of cultural traditions, as well as importance of each individual's human rights regardless of their race, religion, creed or culture," says Mensah.

With subject matter ranging from abstracts to portraits, Susan's distinctive style can be seen with her use of strong colours and celebratory images, whether using acrylic or pastels. She recently completed portraits of one of the presidential candidates for Ghana and is about to embark on a series of portraits of other well known public figures.

Susan has a keen interest in charitable causes, and recently auctioned one of her paintings to raise money for the North of Ghana flood disaster.

A passionate advocate of social justice, Susan is now actively involved in using her art to highlight the plight of women and children caught up in war and violence through an event taking place in London on 31 July 2009.

"I am holding an art exhibition this summer along with several artists who are part of a newly formed art group called 'Artist for Human Rights and Social Justice' (AHRSJ)," says Susan.

AHRSJ are part of the group Artists for Human Rights in the US, which was founded by the actress Anne Archer (who played Michael Douglas' wife in the movie 'Fatal Attraction').

"We have based this exhibition on the theme of 'Women in Conflict' and will be exhibiting paintings depicting women and children, displaced people and refugees in war-torn countries such as the Congo, Sudan and Chad," says Susan. "We will be collaborating with UNIFEM, UK in the hope of raising people's awareness of human rights issues and particularly violence against women and children in conflict zones."

Susan's vivid and bold work demonstrates nostalgia for Africa, its symbols and cultural images.

The event will feature panelists including Human Rights Lawyer Karon Monaghan of Matrix Chambers, Barbara Cleary, Chair of UNIFEM’s London Committee, and Esther Eghobamien, Head of the Gender Section, Social Transformation Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat and takes place at The Garden Hall, St Mary's Church in Wimbledon.

Susan's latest work, which can be seen on her website, features African cultural scenes as well as women in various guises some resplendent in traditional attire and headdress.

She draws her inspiration from artists such as Gustav Klimt, Gauguin, Picasso, Matisse and more contemporary African artists such as Gerard Sekoto and Ablade Glover.

Susan also regularly exhibits with the Worple Group in Wimbledon and has held exhibitions at the Ghana High Commission, as part of the country's 50th anniversary independence celebrations, the GLA, where she helped to promote Ghanaian products, and at Cannizaro House, for International Women's Day.

Susan Mensah's work is currently being exhibited at the Victoria Jones Gallery - a gallery with a diverse portfolio of work by international artists.

The gallery puts great emphasis on 'educating and integrating cultures through art' which is at the heart of their philosophy and aim to sustain traditional art and craft methods so that they do not become extinct - keeping alive communities so that they can be passed on to future generations.

www.susanmensah.co.uk, www.artistsforhumanrights.org.