G.A.S. Foundation is pleased to announce that our newly activated Reading Room at the G.A.S. Library and Picton Archive is now open to the public for guided sessions every Tuesday and Thursday. First unveiled during the Re:assemblages Symposium on 4 November 2025, the space is designed for encounters with publications that trace connections across African and Afro-diasporic art and cultural ecologies.
At its heart is a growing ecosystem developed through the Re:assemblages programme, an ongoing platform for research, collaboration, and knowledge exchange. The Reading Room also features the C& Cyclopedia stations, which house a digital archive by Contemporary And (C&), offering access to over 11,000 texts in English, French, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese. Built from contributions by writers, artists, and curators worldwide, the Cyclopedia transforms the archive into a space for exploration, dialogue, and discovery, creating a “place to hang out” within the archive.
The Reading Room is open by appointment to researchers, students, practitioners, and anyone interested in exploring African and Afro-diasporic art and cultural histories. Sessions last up to four hours and will continue through May 2026. Visitors are encouraged to review the guidelines before attending, as registration is subject to approval to maintain a focused and reflective study environment.
All visits require prior registration; walk-ins cannot be accommodated.
The Reading Room is developed within the framework of the Re:assemblages programme, initiated by G.A.S. Foundation and Yinka Shonibare Foundation, and curated by Naima Hassan.
About Contemporary And (C&)
Contemporary And (C&) is a platform for international contemporary art and thought. Founded in 2013 as a bilingual online magazine, C& has since unfolded into the C& Cosmos: two online magazines (C& Magazine and C& América Latina Magazine), critical print publications, free education programs, and projects that move between digital and physical space. From reading rooms to mentoring, from artist commissions to the C& Cyclopedia, they create spaces for reflection, connection, and exchange.
