Beya Gille Gacha (1990, Paris) is an artist of Cameroonian descent who lives and works in Paris. Following a trip to Cameroon and her motherland, the Grassland region, she discovered the Bamileke beadwork and started producing beaded sculptures inspired by this technique, while mixing references to African classicism and Western art. She draws her inspiration from local “passport masks” to create her artworks, sculptures, and installations with blue-beaded skin, while addressing social themes.

Beya Gille Gacha (1990, Paris) is an artist of Cameroonian descent who lives and works in Paris. Following a trip to Cameroon and her motherland, the Grassland region, she discovered the Bamileke beadwork and started producing beaded sculptures inspired by this technique, while mixing references to African classicism and Western art. She draws her inspiration from local “passport masks” to create her artworks, sculptures, and installations with blue-beaded skin, while addressing social themes.

 

In 2011 she entered the Ecole du Louvre where she developed her sensitivity to classical African, Global Asian, and Oceanic arts. She sees her artistic practice as an engagement from an intersectional perspective; thus, she created two collectives and curates the exhibition; NÉFE in 2013 and DES GOSSES in 2016. In 2018 her work could be seen at Galleria Nazionale in Rome for the exhibition “Io e un Altro / I is another,” and Kampala Biennale # 3 in the studio of Pascale Martine Tayou, both curated by Simon Njami. This was followed in 2019 with a two person show in Salon Révélations at the Grand Palais with Barthelemy Toguo. She has also exhibited in international events such as 1-54 (New York, 2019); AKAA (Paris, 2017-2018); West Lake Art Fair (Hangzhou, 2017); Manifesta # 12 (Palermo, 2018); Afropunk (Paris, 2019).In July 2019, she participated in the 1st edition of the International Sculpture Biennial of Ouagadougou (BISO), of which she won the 1st prize (Leridon prize) nominated by a jury composed of Abdoulaye Konaté, Soly Cissé, Barthelemy Toguo and Gervanne Leridon. Her work has been acquired by the Smithsonian Museum Of African Art and the World Bank, as well as private collections such as the Léridon collection (Cape Town, Paris), or Imago Mundi by Luciano Benetton (Treviso).

 

She is currently showing at the 14th edition of the Dakar Biennale, 2022.