Ekue Woekedje Meschac Gaba (* 1961 in Cotonou, Benin) addresses major socio-political questions- such as the contemporary effects of colonialism with in a system of globalization-with surprising light ness. A central motif in his work is the banknote. Ma nipulated bills symbolize an abstract currency system that makes fanciful decisions regarding social exclu sion and integration. Defying the arbitrary mecha nisms of the market and the Eurocentric thinking of the international art world, the artist puts African art at center stage. His Museum of Contemporary African Art (1997-2002), for instance, is a laboratory where the collective effects of the market are not only made visible but can also be changed. Icons of western cul ture enter into a creative dialogue with historical fig ures from the African tradition. Exhibition: Deutsche Bank KunstHalle, Berlin 20.9.-16.11.2014

Text by: Okwui Enwezor, Kerryn Greenberg, Achille Mbembe, Rutger Pontzen