Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation

On December 13th, G.A.S. Lagos hosted Functions of Humor, a talk and workshop led by two-time G.A.S. resident Ofem Ubi and acclaimed Nigerian-British artist, film director, photographer, and poet Jolade Olusanya. The event began with a presentation in which Ofem shared insights from his eight-week residency at the G.A.S. Farm House, exploring humor as a powerful tool for navigating societal challenges like insecurity and inflation. Building on this, Joladé and Ofem led a dynamic workshop blending humor, creativity, and social reflection. Participants crafted humorous yet reflective narratives, exploring how humor shapes challenges, fosters connection, and aids healing and change. 🔗 Read more through the following link: https://lnkd.in/eiqRi2yn ⁠ #guestartistsspace #gasfoundation #humor #ofemubi #joladeolusanya #artisttalk #gasfarm #writingworkshop #residencyprogram #mulidisciplinaryartist #literacy #research

🎨 In October, Lagos’ vibrant art season was in full swing, and Art X Lagos stood out as one of its keystone events. As a proud residency partner, G.A.S. Foundation was delighted to host Shabu Mwangi, recipient of the Access ART X Diaspora Prize. Shabu’s residency with us wrapped up this November, marking a meaningful chapter in his creative journey. During the fair, Shabu presented Fortune and Power, a powerful exhibition that explored systemic oppression, governance, and the interplay between tradition and modernity in African societies. Inspired by his community in Nairobi’s Mukuru Slum and his time in Lagos and Ijebu-Ode, Shabu’s work featured six figurative oil paintings and an installation evoking the Zangbeto masquerade—a symbol of law, order, and traditional values. ____ Shabu Mwangi, Access ART X Prize: What May Come 2024 Exhibition. Image courtesy of ART X Lagos. The ART X Prize is sponsored by Access Corporation, the parent company of Access Bank. @artxlagos @myaccessbank @theaccesscorp #shabumwangi #fortuneandpower #artxlagos2024 #africanart #contemporaryart #gasfoundation #guestartistsspace #artistinresidence #residentartist #ContemporaryArt #culturalexchange #contemporaryartist

❓️Have you got questions about the G.A.S. Fellowship Award 2025? Join us this Thursday on Zoom for an informative session led by Y.S.F. CEO Belinda Holden and G.A.S. Executive Director Moni Aisida. They'll walk you through the application guidelines, eligibility criteria, and everything you need to know about the award. You'll also have the chance to ask any questions you may have during the session. 💻️ Register here: https://lnkd.in/eQAVUkDu The 2025 edition of the award offers two fully-funded six-week residencies at G.A.S. Lagos for outstanding mid-career professionals based and actively working on the African continent: ⁠ 🎨 One residency for a mid-career visual fine artist (5th May - 14th June 2025)⁠ 🖼️ One residency for a mid-career curator (16th June - 25th July 2025)⁠ The residencies are part of Project Nexus, a three-year programme empowering artists and curators through residencies, workshops, and educational initiatives supported by Deutsche Bank.⁠ 🔗 Visit our website to apply.⁠ ‼️ Application deadline: Sunday, 12th January 2025, 23:59 WAT⁠ ---- #gasfoundation #guestartistsspace #artistresidency #curatorresidency #africancreatives #opencall #callforapplications #gasfellowshipaward #culturalexchange #projectnexus #deutschebank

This December, we are thrilled to host our final resident of the year, Nigerian multidisciplinary artist Mobolaji Ogunrosoye, as she undertakes a two-week research fellowship at G.A.S. Lagos. Known for a distinct visual language that intersects photography and collage, Mobolaji's practice critically delves into themes of selfhood, body image, and the societal forces that shape identity in West African women both on the continent and in the diaspora. “I’ve been in discussions with G.A.S. about accessing their library and archives for some time now. This residency offers a unique opportunity to immerse myself in a rich repository of materials, which will significantly support my collage practice. By building a personal archive of images, I will be better equipped to expand the conceptual and material possibilities within my work.” 🔗 Read more in the following link: https://lnkd.in/ejMwx-SF All images courtesy of the Artist. #gasfoundation #gasfellowship #artistresidency #mobolajiogunrosoye #artistinresidency #photography #research #culturalexchange #residencyprogram #collage #gaslibrary #archives #history

🌟 Applications are now open for the G.A.S. Fellowship Award 2025! Two fully-funded six-week residencies at G.A.S. Lagos are being offered to outstanding mid-career professionals based and actively working on the African continent: 🎨 One residency for a mid-career visual fine artist (5th May - 14th June 2025) 🖼️ One residency for a mid-career curator (16th June - 25th July 2025) The residencies are part of Project Nexus, a three-year programme empowering artists and curators through residencies, workshops, and educational initiatives supported by Deutsche Bank. 🔗 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eKSNUv3U 💻️ Have questions about the application process? Join our Online Information Session next Thursday at 3:00pm WAT using the link above. ‼️ Application deadline: Sunday, 12th January 2025, 23:59 WAT —-- #gasfoundation #guestartistsspace #artistresidency #curatorresidency #africancreatives #opencall #callforapplications #gasfellowshipaward #culturalexchange #projectnexus #deutschebank

Join us at G.A.S. Lagos on December 19th for Primitive Hypertext, a presentation and hands-on workshop in collaborative storytelling and printing, led by current resident Avery Youngblood This event will spotlight Avery’s residency research, which has explored how obsolete technologies influence contemporary creative practices. This session will uncover Avery’s research into the history of printing and its role in communal language-making. Central to her approach is the concept of "primitive hypertext," inspired by Octavia E. Butler, an iconic African American science fiction writer. Ahead of the workshop, Avery also invites submissions of text, photos, videos, and other materials for a deconstructed publication inspired by Butler’s creative process—a synthesis of memory, archives, and interconnected ideas. Participants are encouraged to submit up to three personal or historical references, which will shape the workshop and form the foundation of a collaborative Riso-printed publication. 🔗 RSVP for the event and submit your references in the following link: https://lnkd.in/gBNuVCCh #gasfoundation #gasfellowship #artistresidency #averyyoungblood #research #residencyprogram #mulidisciplinaryartist #printing #storytellingworkshop #archives #octaviabutler #artandtechnology #identityandtechnology #yaleschoolofart #primitivehypertext

Join us at G.A.S. Lagos on December 13th, for Functions of Humor, a talk and writing workshop led by two-time G.A.S. resident Ofem Ubi, alongside acclaimed Nigerian-British artist, film director, photographer, and poet Joladé Olusanya, FRSA. This event will spotlight Ofem Ubi’s recent research into the transformative power of humor and share how his residency at the G.A.S. Farm House in Ijebu influenced his creative journey, enriching his exploration of humor’s role in navigating adversity. Following the talk, participants will engage in a hands-on writing workshop, exploring the role of humor in shaping social perspectives and driving change. 🔗 RSVP via the following link: https://lnkd.in/ePbjuqB4 This edition of the G.A.S. Fellowship Award is generously supported by Still Earth Holdings and our Residency Patrons. ⁠ #guestartistsspace #gasfoundation #humor #ofemubi #joladeolusanya #artisttalk #NigerianArtists #gasfarm #writingworkshop #mulidisciplinaryartist #gaslibrary #Award #literacy #research

In conclusion of their residency at G.A.S. Lagos, Liz Kobusinge and Theophilus Imani led Archival Choreographies, the second session of École du Festival, a dynamic study day that reactivated the cultural legacies of pan-African festivals. This session featured a cartographic performance inspired by their archival research in Lagos and Ibadan. Using their Annotations Shadow Box, they illuminated lesser-known histories of 20th-century Pan-African festivals in a performance that unfolded in three acts: archival revelations, audience participation, and a live music performance by pianist and composer Philip A. Balogun. The event concluded with a hands-on engagement, allowing the audience to interact with the presented materials and taking home items including photo negatives, bark cloth, printed ephemera, and plant sediments collected during their research encounters. 🔗 Read more in the following link: https://lnkd.in/e-ddhZbT The Annotations residency and École du Festival Study Day are supported by Outset Contemporary Art Fund.⁠ #gasfoundation #guestartistsspace #artisttalk #research #gaslibrary #annotations #history #culturalpreservation #festac77 #nigeriahistory #archivalconsciousness #workshopsession #annotationsprogramme #panafricanfestivals #outset #theophilusimani #lizkobusinge

Join us this Wednesday at G.A.S. Lagos for Building Artists' Estates and Legacies, an afternoon of discussion led by current resident Osei Bonsu, alongside key representatives from the estates of Nigeria’s modernist pioneers. Bringing together representatives from the estates of the founding members of the Zaria Art Society (1958–1961), the panel will explore how these artists' groundbreaking contributions gave rise to vital new institutions that continue to serve as hubs for artistic innovation and cultural preservation. The conversation will also highlight how a new generation of cultural practitioners is safeguarding and expanding the legacies of these modernist pioneers, ensuring their impact endures for future generations. This session will feature guest speakers including Salma Uche-Okeke, Rufus Nwoko, Morayo Anthonio Grillo and Ejiro Onobrakpeya 🔗 RSVP to attend in the following link: https://lnkd.in/ezKV27Cd #guestartistsspace #gasfoundation #ZariaArtSociety #NigerianModernism #AfricanArtHistory #CulturalPreservation #ArtisticHeritage #OseiBonsu #UcheOkeke #DemasNwoko #BruceOnobrakpeya #YusufGrillo #NigerianArtScene #ArtInnovation #ArtInstitutions #NigerianArtists #AfricanModernism #ArtInLagos

In November, we had the pleasure of welcoming Osei Bonsu, a British-Ghanaian curator, writer, and art historian, to G.A.S. Lagos for his residency. Based between London and Paris, Osei is the Curator of International Art at Tate where he works to expand the representation of African and global diaspora artists through exhibitions, collection displays, public programs, and publications. "I hope to use this opportunity to build on my research while fostering new relationships and creating opportunities for dialogue and exchange. I am particularly eager to facilitate collaborations between Nigerian and UK-based arts institutions. G.A.S. has become a pioneering model for institutions on the continent, building on Nigeria's rich history of artist-led spaces such as the Mbari Artists and Writers Club, New Culture Studios, and the Harmattan Workshop, among others. My research focuses on the living legacies of Nigerian Modernism as a complex network of cultural, artistic, and political ideas that gained momentum during the second half of the 20th century." 🔗 Read more in the following link: https://lnkd.in/eRHc55p3 This residency is generously supported by Via Art Fund. ⁠ #gasfoundation #gasfellowship #artistresidency #oseibonsu #artistinresidency #research #tatecurator #culturalexchange #residencyprogram #modernism #mulidisciplinaryartist #gaslibrary #archives #history #postcolonialnarratives #tate #viaartfund Image credit 1. Headshot of Osei Bonsu. Image courtesy of International curators forum 2. Hyundai Commission: El Anatsui: Behind the Red Moon, Installation View, Photo © Tate (Joe Humphrys)