Meschac Gaba: Museum of Contemporary African Art

Abstract

"Born in Cotonou, Benin, in 1961, Meschac Gaba moved to the Netherlands in 1996 to take up a residency at the Rijksakademie. It was there that he conceived 'The Museum of Contemporary African Art', an ambitious work which took him five years and which cemented his reputation as one of the most important African artists working today. Consisting of 12 sections, or actual rooms, the work challenges preconceived notions of what African art is and provides a new discursive space for social and cultural interaction, critiquing the museum's value both as an institution and as a symbol of cultural capital. The importance of this work, which is being acquired by Tate, has been widely acknowledged in exhibitions ranging from Documenta XI, Kassel, in 2002 to Intense Proximity: La Triennale, Paris in 2012. Contributions by leading scholars place the work in the context of the artist's oeurvre, art history, and museology."-- Publisher's description.

Contents

'My Museum Doesn't Exist. It's Only a Question.' / a conversation between Meschac Gaba and Chris Dercon -- Meschac Gaba: Framing a Space / Kerryn Greenberg -- Meschac Gaba and the Urge to Laugh / Achille Mbembe -- The Death of the African Archive and the Birth of the Museum: Considering Meschac Gaba's Museum of Contemporary African Art / Okwui Enwezor -- The Perfect Infiltration / Rutger Pontzen -- If an old man dies, a whole library disappears with him -- Inventory -- Museum of Contemporary African Art.