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Meschac Gaba and his 12 rooms

October 02nd, 2014
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News from Berlin - The Deutsche Bank KunstHalle is in cooperation with the Tate Modern presenting the artist Meschac Gaba. His art is now being exposed at the German Bank KunstHalle until the November 16th, 2014. Gaba's installation of the Twelve-Room (part of the Museum of Contemporary African Art 1997-2002) was the largest single work the Tate has purchased to date. The museum of Contemporary African Art has no permanent place, but is has been shown temporarily in different various museums all over the world. Right now seven of the Twelve room are presented for the first time in Berlin to mark the beginning of the cooperation between the Deutsche Bank KunstHalle and the Tate. The artist has created a flag representing the Museum of Contemporary African Art in Berlin.

Gaba began working on this project between 1996 and 1997. He said " My museum has no wall, [it is] not a model… it's only a question". The artist is using the exhibition context as a chance to create situations and places for social encounters where the meaning of an object is "activated" through its interaction with the viewer. He was unable to imagine integrating his work into the canon of Western museum, he needed a place for his work, because it wasn’t in existence yet.

News from Berlin - Berlin Global