Meschac Gaba

The seventh in a series of eight-week displays by international contemporary artists has been undertaken by Meschac Gaba.

His works examine the cultural and economic codes of exchange between Africa and the West, through engaging visitors in an exchange of ideas.

The final form of Gaba's installations are left open to be shaped by the desires and actions of those who visit. His previous works include the ten part installation The Museum of Contemporary African Art. Individual elements of this hypothetical institution were placed in other galleries and museums, such as The Architecture of the Museum where visitors built their fantasy museum using wooden blocks. In the Level 2 Gallery, Gaba has created an installation inspired by the Nobel Peace Prize.

Supported by Mondriaan Foundation, Amsterdam, with additional support from the Nobel Peace Center.

This exhibition is organised in conjunction with Africa 05.

Artist Biography

Meschac Gaba was born in 1961 in Cotonou, Benin, West Africa. In 1997 Gaba moved from Cotonou to Amsterdam to study at the Rijksakademie. His emergence onto the international art scene came with his twelve part project The Museum of Contemporary African Art, 1997-2001 which concluded at Documenta XI, Kassel and now can be viewed online at www.museumofcontemporaryafricanart.com. He was included in the Dutch Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, 2003 and has had solo exhibitions at numerous international museums. His work was recently on display in London as part of Africa Remix at the Hayward Gallery, now at Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.

Meschac Gaba