September proved to be an exciting opening to a second year of residencies at G.A.S Foundation, Y.S.F.’s sister organisation located in Nigeria.

Activities kicked off with the arrival of Okiki Akinfe, a UK-based visual artist and Royal College of Art alum supported by G.A.S.’s Residency Patronage Programme. Time in Lagos enabled Okiki new opportunities to explore the Yoruba traditional corpus and strengthen her current creative practice of using world-building to subvert narratives surrounding Black existence.

On Friday, October 6th, Stephen Friedman Gallery's new London location on Cork Street, Mayfair, will unveil an exciting exhibition titled 'Free The Wind, The Spirit, and The Sun,' featuring new work by Yinka Shonibare CBE RA. The exhibition also showcases a diverse group of African artists and talents from the African diaspora, curated by Shonibare himself. Among these individuals are upcoming residents and alumni who have participated in the G.A.S. residency program over the past year. 'Free The Wind, The Spirit, and The Sun' is a testament to the diverse range of disciplines explored during these residencies, encompassing paintings, sculptures, mixed media pieces, and works on paper.

G.A.S. Lagos is pleased to be hosting Lagos Studio Archives, a joint multidisciplinary practice belonging to Karl Riikka, and Ohiri Kassinen. Their practice comprises visual arts, photography, and research, will embark on a month-long residency in Lagos, aiming to unearth the story of Abi Morocco Photos, a historic photographic studio. Their primary focus is on the studio's formative decade, marked by remarkable black-and-white studio portraits and vernacular photography from the 1970s.

The Art Exchange: Moving Image programme is a collaborative and cross-cultural curatorial professional development and exhibition programme for early to mid-career visual arts curators from Sub-Saharan Africa working with moving image. The programme is supported by the British Council and organised by LUX, the UK agency for the support and promotion of artists working with moving image, Yinka Shonibare Foundation and Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation, Nigeria. During 2023-2024 LUX and Guest Artists Space Foundation will work with curators in Sub-Saharan Africa to develop a series of exhibition projects responding to moving image works in the British Council Collection. Following the open call, we are excited to announce the winning participants in the programme.

The Art Exchange: Moving Image programme is a collaborative and cross-cultural curatorial professional development and exhibition programme for early to mid-career visual arts curators from Sub-Saharan Africa working with moving image. The programme is supported by the British Council and organised by LUX, the UK agency for the support and promotion of artists working with moving image, Yinka Shonibare Foundation and Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation, Nigeria.

The six winning curators, select through an open call, receive mentoring support from LUX and G.A.S., and a dedicated programme of professional development and networking opportunities. These activities are delivered alongside a fully-funded research trip to the UK in Autumn 2023, an opportunity to work with moving image works in the British Council visual arts collection as well as logistical and financial support to stage a final exhibition. They also receive a curatorial fee and their host venue will receive funding for the exhibition staging.

We are pleased to announce that the Access ART X Prize 2023, an annual award for emerging artists in Africa and its diaspora, is now open for applications. Guest Artists Space Foundation will once again be hosting one of the winners in Lagos for a three-month residency in the lead-up to the 2024 edition of the fair. The Access ART X Prize awards early-career artists from Africa and its diaspora opportunities to develop their practices, with the intention of setting them up for the highest levels of success on the global stage. 

The Art Exchange: Moving Image programme is a collaborative and cross-cultural curatorial professional development and exhibition programme for early to mid-career visual arts curators from Sub-Saharan Africa working with moving image. The programme is supported by the British Council and organised by LUX, the UK agency for the support and promotion of artists working with moving image, Yinka Shonibare Foundation and Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation, Nigeria. During 2023-2024 LUX and Guest Artists Space Foundation will work with curators in Sub-Saharan Africa to develop a series of exhibition projects responding to moving image works in the British Council Collection. Following the open call, we are excited to announce the winning participants in the programme.

The Birtish-Nigerian artist and philanthropist is the official artist of, LUX’s partner, Deutsche Bank Wealth Management, at this year’s Frieze in London. In just a few short years, the Guest Artists Space Foundation spaces in Nigeria, founded by Yinka Shonibare, have seen art residences that are inspiring transformative creative conversations and programmes between artists, local communities, activists, ecologists and more. 

G.A.S. Foundation is proud to announce a partnership with the 2024 edition of the Lagos Biennial. The Lagos Biennial positions the city of Lagos, with its highly international purview, as its hub in supporting and promoting contemporary art through exhibitions, public programmes, publications, research, and residencies. In the lead-up to the forthcoming edition, G.A.S. hosted residencies for exhibiting contemporary visual artists; Nolan Oswald Dennis, Evan Ifekoya, and Raymond Pinto and aided in facilitating the artists' experiences of the city, and creative processes as they prepared for their presentation at the  Biennial.

Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) is seeking two highly organized and proactive individuals to play a crucial role in the successful execution of G.A.S. Foundation's annual Art Tour. They will assist in coordinating event itineraries, logistics, managing event staff, supporting guest needs, and ensuring the smooth operation of various activities throughout the month, including day-to-day operations at the residency. This role holder will support the team across our sites in Lagos and Ijebu. 

In the realm of research and curation, Naima Hassan and Billy Carl Kuatche Fowo embark on a transformative residency, fueled by multifaceted visions. Their mission includes cataloging the G.A.S. Library Picton Collection and exploring Nigerian festival and artist club heritage. Expectations are high as they seek to enrich their research and curatorial practices. Naima, the Picton Collection archivist, plays a pivotal role in their mission, aligning with the Reassemblages 2023-24 program initiated by G.A.S. Foundation. Billy, an experienced curator, aims to expand his practice through connections and collaborations. Supported by the Goethe-Institut and TheMuseumsLab Alumni Projects, their collaborative journey promises to illuminate hidden narratives and foster cultural preservation.