Meschac Gaba

Current Review(s)

'Subtropicalia' and 'The Street'

Paul Edmunds and Meschac Gaba at Stevenson in Cape Town

An exuberant flurry of colours, of textures, of decorative objects, of tables with rolls of hand printed paper, greets the viewer entering Benin-born artist Meschac Gaba’s The Street. In Africa, the centre of economic and social activity in the community is on the street, and it is this buzzing arena which provides the source material for Gaba’s work.

Gaba does not present objects found in up-market boutiques, but turns to the materials employed in informal trading. This trade is something integral to the economic structure of Benin (and something with which we are quite familiar in Cape Town as well), so as a viewer one remains perpetually aware of the link these works have with the economy. Closer inspection of the surfaces of the various framed works in the Colours of Cotonou (2007-9) reveal hundreds of small circles cut from Beninese bank notes that almost completely conceal each of the wooden frames. This motif is given extra weight by the recent global financial crisis and the way the perception of a country is coloured by the state of its economy.

01 October 2009 - 21 November 2009

Listings(s)

'Subtropicalia' and 'The Street'

Paul Edmunds and Meschac Gaba at Stevenson in Cape Town

In the first solo exhibition by Paul Edmunds at Michael Stevenson, Edmunds continues the investigation of pattern, form, symmetry and unconventional materials for which he is known.

'Subtropicalia' began with a story Edmunds wrote in his childhood, which he now uses as a template through which to view the work, tracking how memory and sensory phenomena inform his exploration of materials, forms and repetitive processes. The exhibition will include Edmunds’ sculptural forms, paper cut-out wall pieces, the video projection Weft, and a small publication featuring the short story by Edmunds that gave rise to this body of work.

 

 

 

01 October 2009 - 21 November 2009

'The Global Africa Project'

Joel Andrianomearisoa, Nontsikelelo Veleko and Meschac Gaba at Museum of Arts and Design

An unprecedented exhibition exploring the broad spectrum of contemporary African art, design, and craft worldwide, 'The Global Africa Project' premieres at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) on November 17, 2010. Featuring the work of more than 100 artists working in Africa, Europe, Asia, the United States, and the Caribbean, the exhibition surveys the rich pool of new talent emerging from the African continent and around the world. Through furniture, architecture, textiles, fashion, jewelry, ceramics, and basketry, as well as selective examples of photography, painting, sculpture, and installation work, the exhibition actively challenges conventional notions of a singular African aesthetic and identity, and reflects the integration of African art and design without making the usual distinctions between 'professional' and 'artisan'.

17 November 2010 - 15 May 2011