Meschac Gaba (born 1961 in Cotonou, Benin) is a contemporary conceptual artist known for his multidisciplinary practice encompassing installation, sculpture, painting, and performance. He lives and works between Cotonou and Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Gaba gained international prominence with his seminal long-term project, the Museum of Contemporary African Art (1997–2002). This nomadic, conceptual artwork consisted of twelve distinct "rooms" or sections—such as the Draft Room, Library, Salon, Art and Religion Room, and Museum Shop—installed in various museums and galleries across Europe and Africa. The project critically examined the institutional frameworks of the art world, questioning the categorization, display, and economic valuation of "African art" within Western museology. By creating his own museum structure, Gaba positioned himself as both the artist and the curator/director, challenging the authority of established institutions to define his cultural production.
His work often incorporates everyday materials, found objects, textiles (notably Dutch wax prints), banknotes, and architectural elements, merging personal biography with broader socio-political commentary on post-colonial identity, global trade, and cultural exchange.
Major solo exhibitions include presentations at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (1999), the Studio Museum in Harlem (2004), Tate Modern, London (2013), and the Haus der Kunst, Munich (2014). He has participated in major international exhibitions including Documenta 11 (2002), the Venice Biennale (2003, 2013), and the Dakar Biennale (2000, 2002, 2018).
In 2015, Gaba was awarded the Prince Claus Award from the Netherlands for his outstanding contribution to culture and development. His work is held in major public collections including the Tate (UK), Centre Pompidou (France), Stedelijk Museum (Netherlands), Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (USA), and the Fondation Louis Vuitton (France).
