On February 13th, 2025, current resident Bisila Noha led Ile Ọkàn – A Gathering at the House of the Soul, an intimate gathering and collaborative clay moulding workshop at the G.A.S. Farm House in Ikiṣẹ. The afternoon began with a display of a locally made structure inspired by Mbari houses - distinct cultural and spiritual edifices found in Igbo land, particularly in the Owerri region and several towns in Imo and Rivers States, Nigeria. These ceremonial structures serve as artistic expressions of gratitude to Ala, the Earth goddess, and other deities. Built as part of religious rituals, Mbari houses embody the rich artistic, spiritual, and communal traditions of the Igbo people.

On February 11th, we hosted our first Patrons Dinner of 2025 at G.A.S. Lagos, bringing together Patrons, donors, trustees, and key supporters for an intimate evening of meaningful conversations and fine dining.

G.A.S. Foundation is excited to welcome Ugo Ahiakwo, recipient of the 2024 Tilga Art Fund Prize, for a six-week residency at G.A.S. Lagos. A Lagos-based sculptor and curator, Ugo’s multidisciplinary practice spans sculpture, installation, curatorial work, and design. His work is defined by tactility, dynamism, and refinement, with a strong focus on transforming overlooked materials and reimagining their potential. Guided by an intuitive yet intentional approach, he views his materials as collaborators: listening, negotiating, and responding to them as he uncovers new possibilities in form and meaning.

The 2025 G.A.S. Fellowship Award, organised by the G.A.S. Foundation in partnership with the Yinka Shonibare Foundation, has announced its winners: Zimbabwe-based curator and writer Dr. Tinashe Mushakavanhu and Egypt-based interdisciplinary artist Shatha Afify. Selected from over 130 applicants across 18 African countries, they will each undertake a fully funded six-week residency at G.A.S. Lagos.

The 2025 G.A.S. Fellowship Award, organised by the G.A.S. Foundation in partnership with the Yinka Shonibare Foundation, has announced its winners: Zimbabwe-based curator and writer Dr. Tinashe Mushakavanhu and Egypt-based interdisciplinary artist Shatha Afify. Selected from over 130 applicants across 18 African countries, they will each undertake a fully funded six-week residency at G.A.S. Lagos.

Towards the end of last month, we were delighted to welcome Bulgarian-Nigerian ethnobotanist Jonn Gale for an immersive 12-week residency, structured as part of her PhD placement. Based in London, her interdisciplinary practice spans photography, moving image, sound, research, and ecology. Her work combines archival analysis, ethnobotanical research, and sensory-focused visual ethnography, to explore multi-species relationships and the historical role of plants. As part of her practice-led PhD at Birkbeck, University of London, and in collaboration with the Linnean Society of London,  she is currently investigating the overlooked contributions of Black and Indigenous naturalists to 18th- and 19th-century botanical knowledge, working to develop decolonial approaches to archival research.

Yinka Shonibare Foundation (Y.S.F.) and Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation are delighted to announce that they have been awarded a transformative $220,000 grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art. This significant two-year funding will support two major cross-cultural initiatives at G.A.S. residency locations in Ijebu and Lagos, fostering cultural exchange, ecological engagement, and archival preservation.

Yinka Shonibare Foundation (Y.S.F.) and Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation are delighted to announce that they have been awarded a transformative $220,000 grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art. This significant two-year funding will support two major cross-cultural initiatives at G.A.S. residency locations in Ijebu and Lagos, fostering cultural exchange, ecological engagement, and archival preservation.

On Friday, 7th February 2025, G.A.S. Lagos hosted Ecosystems by GROUP50:50, a film screening and discussion exploring the complexities of environmental conservation in the Congo Basin, led by resident Eva-Maria Bertschy. The short film, produced by Congolese filmmakers Joseph K. Kasau and Franck Moka, offers a visual entry point into ECOSYSTEM, a larger multimedia music theater project by GROUP50:50 - a collective of artists from Congo, Switzerland and Germany, with a production structure in Basel, Berlin and Lubumbashi that realizes and produces transnational artistic cooperation projects.

On Friday, 10th January 2025, G.A.S. Lagos hosted Uncommon Grounds, marking its first event of the year. Presented in collaboration with Monangambee, a nomadic Pan-African microcinema based in Lagos, and the London-based Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), with support from the British Council, this event is prompted by John Akomfrah’s work at the 2024 Venice Biennale, Listening All Night to the Rain. As one of three events held across different locations, Uncommon Grounds brought together landscape-oriented films that reflect on labor, ecology, and the afterlives of colonialism in Portugal, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom. Blurring the boundaries between film and installation, each work introduced an architectural approach to cinema, laying bare the physicality of filmmaking, the camera apparatus, and the unstable grounds on which it stands.

To Break A Bitter Fever launches today at Bag Factory, Johannesburg, as the fourth instalment of the Art Exchange: Moving Image programme. Curated by Kefiloe Siwisa in collaboration with artists Gabrielle Goliath, Gogo Mahlodi, Gugu Duma, Lebogang Mabusela, Maneo Mohale, Natalie Paneng, Nombuso Mathibela, Rachel Lowe, Simnikiwe Buhlungu, and Thuli Gamedze, the project responds to the ongoing crisis of gendered and sexualised violence in South Africa. Through workshops, meditations, and collaborative dialogues, it aims to create spaces for respite and collective reflection, and offer moments to gather, rest, and heal.

Guest Artists Space Foundation (G.A.S.) is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all guests and residents, including those with disabilities. Our accessibility policy outlines the measures we have taken to ensure that our facilities and services are accessible to as many individuals as possible.

This page provides a range of information for members of the public and our residents who will be visiting either of the G.A.S. Foundation buildings in Nigeria. To request specific accommodations please contact Moni Aisida, our Executive Director at moni@guestartistsspace.com.