This autumn, we are delighted to spotlight four alumni updates from exhibition openings and screenings to project debuts, each of which is rooted in research conducted, relationships developed, or networks established while in residence at G.A.S. Foundation.
G.A.S. Fellowship Alum Tobi Onabolu Debuts Ojú-Inu in London
Making its debut UK screening, is Ojú-Inu, an evocative video collage by Tobi Onabolu, an inagural G.A.S. Fellowship recipient. Ojú-Inu integrates live action, an original soundscape, and found audiovisual material to interrogate the role of media in shaping both collective consciousness and the unconscious. The work complements Danse Macabre (2023), which premiered in Lagos during the Lagos Biennial, his cinematic short film, which navigates the intricacies of the human psyche through masquerade, building on his residency research focus. This single-channel film draws from Dr. Carl Jung’s psychological theories alongside the rich performative traditions of the Yoruba Egúngún masquerade, offering an exploration of identity and memory. Repeat screenings of Ojú-Inu (10 minutes) and Danse Macabre (20 minutes) will be held every hour.
EVENT DETAILS
Date: 17th October, 2024.
Time: 7:00 – 10:00 pm.
Venue: The Department Store, 248 Ferndale Road, London, SW9 8FR.
Ojú-Inu, invitation banner, Courtesy of Tobi Onabolu
Abi Morocco Photos: Spirit of Lagos Unveils the Legacy of a Pioneering Lagos Studio
G.A.S. Foundation alumni, Karl Ohiri and Riikka Kassinen (under their project named Lagos Studio Archives) are opening their exhibition at Autograph London, titled Abi Morocco Photos: Spirit of Lagos. The presentation uncovers the story of Abi Morocco Photos, a prominent Lagos photographic studio run by John and Funmilayo Abe from the 1970s until 2006. Renowned for its dynamic portraiture and versatility, the studio captured the everyday moments and cultural milestones of Lagosian life. This exhibition, the culmination of Ohiri and Kassinen’s research during their residency supported by Autograph, provides a rare glimpse into the visual culture of Lagos during a formative period in Nigerian photography. Through their multidisciplinary practice, Lagos Studio Archives investigate the materiality and cultural significance of the archive, emphasising the complex intersections of ownership, authorship, and context. The exhibition opens on 30th October, 2024, and a curator's tour will take place on the 31st October 2024, offering a vital platform for exploring how archives shape our understanding of cultural memory and historical narrative.
EXHIBITION DETAILS
Dates: 30 October 2024 - 22 March 2025
Venue: Autograph, Rivington Place, London, EC2A 3BA, UK.
Aina Street, Shogunle, Lagos, c. 1970s, © Funmilayo and John Abe, Courtesy of Lagos Studio Archives
Grow It, Show It! at Museum Folkwang Explores Hair as Cultural and Political Expression
G.A.S. alumna and curator, Miriam Bettin, continues to draw upon her 2022 residency at G.A.S. Foundation, yielding ongoing and impactful outcomes. Her current exhibition, Grow It, Show It! at Museum Folkwang, reflects the influence of her time in Lagos. During her residency, Bettin engaged with Nigerian art history, craft, and fashion design through an intersectional framework, foregrounding anti-colonial, queer-feminist, and emancipatory narratives. Her intellectual and creative exchange with notable figures such as fashion designer Bubu Ogisi, multidisciplinary artist Mobolaji Ogunrosoye, and the late J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere's studio—whose practices are deeply embedded in local cultural and aesthetic traditions—has been present in her recent curatorial and artistic practices. Grow It, Show It! interrogates the socio-cultural significance of hair as a powerful symbol of resistance, identity, and communication. Bettin's Lagos experience continues to inform her exploration of hair as a site of cultural memory and political expression. It is on view from 13 September 2024 to 12 January 2025.
Suffo Moncloa, Gucci/The Face, 2021, Inkjet print, 118 x 86 cm © Suffo Studio
Rafael Kouto's Circular Heroes to Exhibit at Photo Vogue Festival 2025
Rafael Kouto's iterative project, Circular Heroes, has been selected for exhibition at the Photo Vogue Festival in Milan from 6th to the 9th March 2025, showcasing it to professionals in fashion and art from across the globe. The project originated during his 2024 residency at G.A.S. Foundation in Lagos, and its outcomes included two workshops—one at G.A.S. Foundation and the other with a waterfront community in Lagos—which reimagined waste materials, through upcycling practices, a photographic body of work, and a design collection. While in Lagos, amongst other collaborators, Rafael worked closely with Peter Bata of the Eran Jije Project to mobilise local communities to critically examine the recontextualization of material culture within the contemporary context of material overabundance, exploring its implications for post-consumerist aesthetics and sustainability. The project is focused on sustainability and upcycling, using waste objects in creative processes. His residency, supported by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, allowed him to explore local West African textile traditions and material culture while collaborating with creatives in Nigeria to reflect on decolonisation in fashion. Rafael's work emphasises the intersection of sustainability, fashion, and traditional craftsmanship, and has been showcased in various institutions, with plans to expand his research through a potential practice-based Ph.D.
Circular Heroes, © Rafael Kouto, Photography by Ruby Okoro
Samuel Nnorom's New Solo Titled Multitude Or Minority as The M&C Saatchi Group Art for Change Prize
After being awarded the inaugural M&C Saatchi Group Art for Change Prize in 2022, Nigerian artist Samuel Nnorom presents a solo exhibition organized by Saatchi Gallery, M&C Saatchi Group, and Tiwani Contemporary. Samuel creates dynamic sculptures by weaving, rolling, assembling, and sewing together bubbles, bindles, and ribboned strips, reimagining bubbles as symbols of shared resilience, connection, and aspiration.
Crafted from offcuts of Ankara fabric, now widely associated with African textiles, Nnorom’s sculptures act as visual narratives. Originally developed in Indonesia, Ankara fabric was later commercialized by Dutch traders during colonial rule, eventually making its way to West and Central Africa through Black soldiers recruited by the Dutch colonial army. By using this fabric, Nnorom highlights complex themes of cultural origin, craftsmanship, and the impact of global trade on identity.
Multitude or Minority showcases both new pieces and earlier works by Nnorom, that have never been exhibited in the UK. The exhibition is open at Saatchi Gallery from 19 October to 24 November, 2024
Installation view: Samuel Nnorm's 'Emotional Catch', solo exhibition, Tiwani Contemporary, Lagos , 2023. Photography by Yinka Babalola