This event orchestrates a crucial encounter for performing artists from Q-dance Studio at the G.A.S. Foundation, focusing on a three-hour workshop facilitated by Dawit L Petros. Its core objective is to decode and demystify the institutional and professional frameworks that shape contemporary arts practice. This initiative is designed to empower artists by enhancing their understanding of formal structures and processes prevalent in the arts industry, thereby aligning their creative pursuits with professional standards and expectations.

The start of May was marked by the arrival of our seventh Tiwani Contemporary supported resident at G.A.S. Foundation. Dawit L. Petros. Dawit’s rich, collaborative multidisciplinary practice blends visual art, film and photography. His time in Lagos will provide a crucial opportunity to build on and develop existing projects.

Focus on Four is a photography presentation curated by current resident Amanda Iheme, aimed at individuals exploring their own photography practice, or looking to discover new talent in the medium. It will spotlight the work of four Lagos-based photographers and deep-dive into their creative processes articulating their distinct narratives through the lens of urban and personal identity.

G.A.S. Foundation has once again partnered with Tilga Art Prize to host the winner of the annual open call at G.A.S. for an all-expenses paid residency. Tilga Art Prize are welcoming submissions from artists between the ages of 18 and 30 working and living in Nigeria, or of Nigerian descent. Applicants are invited to submit proposals as individuals or as groups across a variety of creative disciplines that include photography, painting, sculpture, illustration or multidisciplinary arts.

Architecture Photographer in residence at G.A.S. Foundation, Amanda Iheme, invites you to apply for a research workshop for research-oriented practitioners. From seasoned researchers to budding creatives, this opportunity allows selected participants to engage with titles from the G.A.S. Library and Picton Archive in a supportive, collaborative environment. Segments of the workshop will include an information session on research methods and a series of reading sessions, which will be punctuated by presentations of research findings, and joint discussions.

In African Glass Futures, guests received an introductory talk through glass production, and its role in traditional societies around the world as currencies, markers of class, and glassmaking as a coveted skill. The evening uncovered RCABLK resident, Graeme Smith's expertise as a glass sculptor, ceramicist and researcher of traditional and contemporary glass-making techniques.

Attendees also had the unique opportunity to view and interact with a curated collection of glass pieces from Bida, Niger state, crafted by Masagá glassmakers, whose traditional practice is now an endangered Nigerian Middle-Belt glassmaking tradition. Pieces were loaned by Lesley Lababidi, Ambassador of Nupe Cultural Heritage, and exhibited alongside Graeme's sculptures and experiments inspired by African glass histories.

The talk drew provocations from a reading of Saidiya Hartman's Wayward Lives Beautiful Experiments, paving the way for discourse on cultural perceptions of manual labour and handwork. 

The Foundation has a vehicle shared between all residents available from Monday-Friday, 9am- 7pm daily. Please book any trips through the Residency Manager at least 24 hours prior.

Confirmed bookings will be listed on this calendar to help residents plan trips around existing commitments.

Please do not abuse the use of this vehicle and be mindful when making your booking to ensure there is sufficient time available for our staff to rest and recuperate between trips.

Re:assemblages (2024-25) is a support structure and programme initiated by G.A.S. Foundation that explores the G.A.S. Library and Picton Archive as a site of rhizomatic exchange. Through a series of activations, the programme aims to foster discursive dialogues and actions on African art publications.

In 2012, instrumental symposium Condition Report: Symposium on Building Art Institutions in Africa was held in Dakar to address the changing role of art institutions and initiatives in Africa in a decade that witnessed the emergence of a various independent art spaces. 12 years on, Re:assemblages poses new critical questions focused on the creative potential of libraries sustained by art institutions in the African continent.

G.A.S. Fellow and current resident, Amanda Iheme, is thrilled to announce an open call for photographers to participate in her upcoming Open Studio event. This opportunity is designed for photographers at the early stages of their careers who are eager to showcase their work, and engage with a vibrant community of artists and art enthusiasts during the event. This open studio is an excellent chance to network, receive direct feedback on your work, and gain visibility within the local art scene.

Are you passionate about cultural exchange and eager to delve into the exploration of African art library collections and archival materials? Join us as a researcher under G.A.S. Foundation's 7 week Annotations Research Programme from 10th June until 26th July 2024. 

Water No Get Enemy: Counter-cartographies of Diaspora describes the ongoing research of Remi Kuforiji, one of two inaugural residents from the Royal College of Art's Association of Black Students, Alumni & Friends (RCA BLK) at G.A.S. Foundation. Starting in 2021, the multifaceted project has taken various forms including installation, Illustration and film. The project aims to develop a model of resistance to crude oil extraction and ecocide in the Niger Delta. By learning from indigenous epistemologies archived in Nigerian masquerade, the project proposes a new masquerade: a method of cartography that critiques harmful extractive practices by bringing multiple diasporic sites into dialogue through performance.

Today marks the unveiling of the Nigerian Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia. It's the country’s second participation in the global event and the presentation curated by Aindrea Emelife (Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at MOWAA, the Museum of West African Art in Benin City, Nigeria) showcases works by a cross-generational group of artists including Y.S.F. and G.A.S. Founder Yinka Shonibare CBE RA alongside G.A.S. alumni Tunji Adeniyi-Jones and artists Ndidi Dike, Onyeka Igwe, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Abraham Oghobase, Precious Okoyomon, and Fatimah Tuggar. Commissioned by the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, on behalf of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, the exhibition exclusively features commissioned, site-specific works, which have been installed throughout the historic Palazzo Canal in Venice’s Dorsoduro.