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.

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.

In May 2023 Yinka Shonibare Foundation and Guest Artists Space Foundation announced a new collaborative open call with Tilga Art Fund, a philanthropic initiative launched by our residency Patron, Wally Bakare, to foster criticality, broaden artistic practice and engage new and exciting modes of art-making among young contemporary African artists. The 2023 edition of the prize was targeted at young artists across all creative disciplines working and living in Uganda, or of Ugandan descent. 

Welcoming Remi Kuforiji, an architect, spatial practitioner, and researcher, to our G.A.S. Lagos residency. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Remi's work delves into the nuanced intersections of race politics, mapping, and performance. His project, Water No Get Enemy: Counter-Cartographies Of Diaspora, redefines Nigerian masquerade as a critical tool in cartography, challenging the neo-colonial exploitation of the Niger Delta's resources. During his residency, Remi aims to conduct first-person research on Lagosian masquerades, exploring their impact in contrast to resource extraction in Lagos.

RCA BLK and Yinka Shonibare Foundation (UK) today announce their partnership on a new artist residency programme in Lagos, Nigeria. Together, the organisations will host two residencies in spring 2024, in collaboration with Guest Artists Space Foundation (G.A.S) in Nigeria; one for an exceptional early/mid-career artist who is an RCA BLK member; and one for a research-based proposal from the wider RCA BLK community.

The Yinka Shonibare Foundation, Guest Artists Space Foundation, and British Council collaborated to create a cultural nexus by hosting a group of visual art curators in Lagos during the 4th edition of the Lagos Biennial. Joined by G.A.S. friends, Biennial VIPs and our patrons, the group participated in an immersive programme that took place between the 2nd and 7th of February and included participation in the official programme of the Lagos Biennial alongside in-depth tours of local institutions, artist studios, collections and galleries.