Meschac Gaba

Biography Meschac Gaba (Benin, Africa, 1961)
African born artist Meschac Gaba worked as autodidact in Benin. In 1996 he arrived in The Netherlands and begun studying at the Rijksacademie voor Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam (1996-1998). During his studies there, the artist started his project The Museum of Contemporary African Art and created the first space, The Draftroom. The project criticizes the lack of African contemporary art in western art institutions as well as the way this art, if exhibited, is represented. Gaba has expanded the project over the last years by creating more rooms. The artist stresses also the fact that there are hardly museums of contemporary art or a circuit of galleries in African countries. Gaba’s museum is not only created for the western art world but even more for his African art colleagues. The Museum Shop and Humanist Space, integrated rooms of The Museum of Contemporary Art were represented in Documenta 11, Kassel (2002). Solo-exhibitions were presented in the Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2002) and S.M.A.K., Gent (2000).
Gaba is working and living in the Netherlands.

Participated in:

Meschac Gaba, Rules of the Games, (2000)

Play-use

The explosive developments on the World Wide Web have generated new fields of design explored by artists as well as architects, (web) designers, game producers and computer programmers. In the exhibitionPlay-use, they present their findings with interactive models, prototypes, and …Read more

 
Meschac Gaba, The Library, installation, 2001

Museum of Contemporary African Art

In 1997, Meschac Gaba (Benin, 1961) launched the first sketches of his Museum of Contemporary African Art. The Museum provides an alternative to the colonial context in which western museums display African art. So far, Gaba has installed several museum departments, amongst …Read more

 
Richard T. Walker, Be as I imagine, archival inkjet print, 76cm x 50cm, 2006

Two in One

Witte de With and de Appel arts centre (Amsterdam) jointly present Two in One, a benefit auction of 100 works by internationally acclaimed contemporary artists to benefit new projects. You are invited to participate in this fundraising adventure, to be held …Read more

 
Zheng Guogu, from Empire, 2004-ongoing Image courtesy of the artist and Vitamin Creative Space, Guangzhou/Beijing

ACT VIII: Nether Land

NETHER LAND ACT VIII of MORALITY, developed by Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, for the Dutch Culture Centre, Shanghai, as part of the World Expo 2010. EXHIBITION 20 June – 11 July 2010, Tuesday to Sunday 11-19 Dutch …Read more