Today marks the unveiling of the Nigerian Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia. It's the country’s second participation in the global event and the presentation curated by Aindrea Emelife (Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at MOWAA, the Museum of West African Art in Benin City, Nigeria) showcases works by a cross-generational group of artists including Y.S.F. and G.A.S. Founder Yinka Shonibare CBE RA alongside G.A.S. alumni Tunji Adeniyi-Jones and artists Ndidi Dike, Onyeka Igwe, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Abraham Oghobase, Precious Okoyomon, and Fatimah Tuggar. Commissioned by the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, on behalf of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, the exhibition exclusively features commissioned, site-specific works, which have been installed throughout the historic Palazzo Canal in Venice’s Dorsodur. 

Jacqueline Katesi Kalange, a multidisciplinary artist based in Kampala has begun her 10-week residency at G.A.S. Lagos.  Her artistic practice encompasses visual art, traditional crafts, sculpture, performance, architecture, and research. She plans to use the period in Lagos to expand her current practice which focuses on upcycling single-use plastics and second-hand clothes to create diverse and often monumental sculptures. Community engagement is a cornerstone of her residency plans and she intends to foster collaborations with local communities through workshops and convenings. 

Suspended States, the first solo exhibition of Y.S.F. and G.A.S. founder Yinka Shonibare CBE RA for over 20 years in a London public institution is now open at Serpentine Gallery. It marks a return for Shonibare who first exhibited at Serpentine South in 1992 as a finalist in the Barclays Young Artist Award, and as a participant in Serpentine's 2006 Interview Marathon. 

Suspended States includes both new and recent installations, sculptures, pictorial quilts and woodcut prints. The works on view explore central themes of legacies of colonial power, sites of refuge and shelter. Shonibare's new works centre on conflicts and related migration, and conversations on public sculptures and their significance in our cities. The exhibition also delves into the ecological impact of colonisation, the European legacy of imperialism and consequential attempts at peace.

We are delighted to open super early bird bookings for the third edition of the Yinka Shonibare Foundation Lagos Art Tour to Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation incorporating the wider creative and cultural community, and ART X Lagos. In 2024 the programme will run from 30th October until 3rd November. Guests will once again be in the company of our chair and founder Yinka Shonibare CBE RA and the trustees and staff of Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation, Yinka Shonibare Foundation (Y.S.F.), and be joined by globally renowned artists, curators and collectors.

Amanda Iheme, who emerged as one of the awardees of the G.A.S. Foundation's prestigious annual fellowship is undertaking a residency at G.A.S. Lagos, spanning from April 8 to May 31, 2024. During this residency, Amanda's ambitious agenda includes an exploration of African artists, particularly photographers, and the initiation of a comprehensive research study of vernacular and contemporary southwestern Nigerian architecture, as well as tropical modernism.

She is eager to tap into the rich resources of the library, benefiting from a conducive learning environment, and gaining access to invaluable connections within the organization. While currently engaged in ongoing projects, Amanda plans to kickstart the conceptualization process for new work during the residency. Collaborating with professionals across the building industry, she has expressed her desire to leverage their insights. Armed with her laptop, photography tools, iPad, and microphone, Amanda is well-prepared for this exciting new research.

Graeme Spencer Smith, an artist and draftsman of Jamaican-British descent, joins the creative community at G.A.S. Lagos for a residency commencing on 01-04-2024 until 26-04-2024. Equiped with a background in ceramics and glass from the Royal College of Art, Graeme melds the worlds of architecture, crafts, and sculpture. His unique focus during this residency is to explore Nigerian glass beads, drawing inspiration from their history, patterns, colours, and the interplay of myth. The residency will see him delve into Bida-Masagá glass, not only to study but to design bespoke exhibition furniture, showcasing the essence of his research. As a craftsman who finds solace in the hands-on, Graeme hopes to create new work with locally sourced glass, in response to his experiences at G.A.S. and within the dynamic artistic community of Lagos.

Remi Kuforiji, an architect, spatial practitioner, and researcher in residence at G.A.S. Lagos, invited members of the creative community to apply to attend 'Playful Preservation', a free workshop on April 4th at G.A.S. Lagos, to collaboratively propose alternative ways of preserving Afro-Brazilian history and culture in Lagos.

This opportunity was open to diverse practitioners, including artists, architects, artisans, performers, and other makers and thinkers. Participants were involved in a symposium discussing issues around preserving the urban fabric of the Afro-Brazilian community on Lagos Island. In response to this discussion, participants proposed alternative realities through collaging, drawing and experimenting on top of archival and current photographs of Afro-Brazilian architecture in Lagos. Finally, participants played a prototype of “Anti-Monopoly: Brazilian Quarters” - a board game where players win by preserving the most Afro-Brazilian buildings in Lagos Island. Instead of developing land, you restore buildings; instead of paying rent, you pay visiting fees; instead of going bankrupt, you run out of the preservation budget. Through this playful process of world-building, participants interrogate issues of preserving the cultural memory of the relationship between Lagos and Brazil.

Rafael Kouto, a multidisciplinary designer and researcher in residence at G.A.S. Lagos, invites members of the creative community to apply to attend Circular Heroes, a free upcycling workshop at G.A.S. Lagos. This opportunity is open to fashion, textile, and other crafts practitioners. Participants will receive instructions on methods such as embroidery, applique, and weaving, and apply them in various exercises. This workshop takes a cue from the sprawling waterside communities of Lagos, whose landfills provide the workshop materials. 

The 2024 residency programme at G.A.S. Foundation commenced with the arrival of Victor Svensson and Eric Oetterli, Retail Management bachelor's thesis students from the Stockholm School of Economics, marking the second cohort of the prestigious Yinka Shonibare Thesis Scholarship initiated in 2023 in partnership with Art Initiative, Misum, Mistra Center for Sustainable Markets, and Stockholm School of Economics. During their residency, they explored the intricacies of Nigeria's cryptocurrency adoption, examining its ramifications on retail, economic growth, and financial inclusion. From their base at G.A.S. Lagos, they conducted a comprehensive series of in-person interviews with local retailers. Victor and Eric collaborated closely with a consultancy firm to design and circulate a survey garnering over 800 responses to unearth invaluable insights into the landscape of cryptocurrency adoption in Nigeria.

Originating against the backdrop of the Isale-Akoka area in Bariga, the first iteration of Circular Heroes was hosted by Rafael Kouto in collaboration with Peter D. Abayomi of the Eran Jije Project, whose work activates communities through music, dance, and environmental awareness. This upcycling workshop engaged 15 young people from one of Lagos' most ingenious waterside communities, characterised by adjacent landfills that provide inhabitants with building materials and income streams through recycling. The exercise served as a prequel to another workshop held at the G.A.S. Lagos residency space, attended by fashion designers, visual artists, photographers, climate activists and resource reclamation entrepreneurs.

We are thrilled to announce Moni Aisida as the incoming Executive Director of the G.A.S. Foundation. With an impressive background spanning over 8 years in the art industry, Moni brings a wealth of experience to our organization.

Moni's professional journey has been characterized by diverse experiences across various sectors including healthcare and fin-tech. Her multifaceted expertise uniquely positions her to drive innovation and growth within the art community. Notably, Moni has been pivotal in cultivating partnerships and facilitating capacity-building initiatives, particularly in her dedicated efforts to support emerging artists. Her unwavering commitment to empowering creatives and fostering collaboration aligns seamlessly with the values and mission of the G.A.S. Foundation.

Following an exciting announcement on her new gallery representation by Regen Projects, Glasgow-based G.A.S. Alumnus and celebrated multidisciplinary artist, Alberta Whittle will debut her first exhibition with the gallery on March 16, 2024. This comes following the conclusion of her residency at G.A.S. Foundation, alongside Elsa James and TK Smith. The work in this exhibition revisits her travels in Nigeria, some having begun while in residence at G.A.S. Lagos. Entitled 'Learning a New Punctuation for Hope in Times of Disaster', Alberta’s exhibition at Regen Projects exemplifies the artist’s interdisciplinary approach to cultivating community and care as an antidote to catastrophes, from ecological collapse to the legacy of anti-Blackness. The exhibition presents Lagareh – The Last Born, 2022 for the first time in North America beside a suite of new paintings and sculptural works. Blending tender portraiture with more abstract passages and symbols, Alberta’s paintings reflect her own lived and embodied experience and desire to cultivate moments of rest, reflection, and kinship with and for others.