Kids React to Meschac Gaba
We asked kids to react to art at Tate Modern - and this is what happened!
We asked kids to tell us what they saw when they looked at a piece of art. They reacted to the art in front of them and told us exactly what they thought.
They said it looked like raw fish! They wanted to know why there was a baby on the shelf. They said it looked like a maze full of crystals and statues. What do you see?
Meschac Gaba
Art and Religion Room From Museum of Contemporary African Art (1997–2002)
Tate
In this artwork, Artist Meschac Gaba created a wooden structure with many layers of shelves. The wooden room is filled with more than 75 objects from different religions and cultures around the world. You can see symbols from Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Vodún, and other African traditions. They are carefully placed on shelves shaped like a cross.
Gaba comes from Benin, in West Africa, where many people follow more than one religion. He explains that in his culture, different beliefs can mix together. Where he is from, you might see statues of angels, Jesus, and a water spirit called Mami Wata all in the same home.
Alongside religious objects, Meschac Gaba has included everyday things like empty bottles, a toy doll, mirrors, crystals, and a piggy bank. These might seem ordinary to you and me but they can still have meaning to people in different ways. Maybe he is asking us what is important? What's important enough to be in a museum?
By putting all these objects in a mini museum, Gaba shows how museums can make things seem more valuable or important just by displaying them. He reminds us that inspiration can come from anywhere, even from everyday life!
Can you spot something that looks ordinary to you but might be special to someone else?
