This round of alumni updates reflects the continued impact of G.A.S. Foundation’s community across artistic, curatorial, and institutional contexts worldwide. From major international prizes and museum acquisitions to curatorial leadership and critical recognition, these milestones speak to the depth, rigor, and ambition of our alumni’s practices. Together, they underscore G.A.S.’s ongoing commitment to supporting research-driven, socially engaged, and globally resonant work—long after each residency, fellowship, or programme has concluded.
Benson Apah Wins First Place at the 2025 Earth Partner Prize
Following his participation in the Deutsche Bank–funded Ìmòra Arts Intensive at G.A.S. Foundation, delivered in partnership with the Yinka Shonibare Foundation, Benson Apah has been awarded first place at the 2025 Earth Partner Prize for his photographic series The Last of Us. Selected from a record pool of young artists from over 110 countries, Apah’s work stood out for its striking use of colour and its unflinching portrayal of environmental devastation in the Niger Delta, where oil spills continue to shape the lives of the Okpare people. Presented ahead of the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil, the prize recognises artists whose practices generate urgent dialogue around climate and ecological justice. His achievement marks a significant milestone in an expanding career and underscores the aims of the Ìmòra Arts Intensive—to provide emerging artists with the tools, mentorship, and visibility needed to engage both local and global audiences.
The Last of Us, Benson Apah.
Osei Bonsu Is Promoted to Jorge M. Pérez Senior Curator of International Art, Africa and Diaspora at Tate Modern
In a fitting culmination of the research he undertook during his 2024 residency at G.A.S. Foundation, Osei Bonsu has been promoted to the role of Jorge M. Pérez Senior Curator, International Art, Africa and Diaspora at Tate Modern. His time at G.A.S.—where he deepened his inquiry into Nigerian modernist artists and their legacies—proved foundational to the landmark Nigerian Modernism exhibition that would follow at Tate. Reflecting on this new chapter, Osei describes it as an extraordinary opportunity to advance Tate’s global vision, expand research networks across Africa and its diaspora, and build on the pioneering efforts that have shaped the museum’s increasingly transnational approach to art history. His appointment, part of Tate’s broader strategy to foreground multiple art histories and strengthen curatorial expertise across world regions, stands as a testament to his sustained contributions to the field and to the enduring impact of his residency with G.A.S. Foundation.
Osei Bonsu at G.A.S. Lagos. Photograph courtesy of G.A.S. Foundation
Ofem Ubi Wins Special Audience Prize at the 2025 Maldito International Videopoetry Festival
2022 G.A.S. Fellow and two-time G.A.S. Resident, Ofem Ubi continues to expand the reach of his multidisciplinary practice, which weaves poetry and visual art into powerful meditations on memory. His film, Back on Home Soil (2023)—a work that began as a poetry and photography project during his ongoing exploration of home, absence, and ancestral record-keeping—has been awarded the Special Audience Prize at the 9th Edition of the Maldito International Videopoetry Contest. Set in Ikom, Cross River State, the film follows Ofem’s return to his hometown, asking what is lost, what is recoverable, and how creative life is shaped by both departure and return. This project came as a sequel to a film developed during his residency, titled As-Salamu Alaykum, which responded to his publication The Last Time I Called the First Thing I Heard was As-Salamu Alaykum.
Back on Home Soil (2023) still. Photograph courtesy of Ofem Ubi
Gaia Ozwyn Featured in ArtCube’s 2026 Discoveries Report
Gaia Ozwyn has been named one of the Top 100 Early-Career Artists in ArtCube’s 2026 Discoveries Report, recognising the growing impact and promise of her practice. A Caribbean-British artist born in Plymouth and now based in London, Ozwyn completed an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art in 2024 with the support of the Sir Frank Bowling Scholarship, following an earlier career in biomedical science and medicine as an NHS doctor. Her paintings explore transitional and peripheral spaces as sites of tension, transformation, and embodied experience, negotiating material presence and transience. The 24-page ArtCube report highlights artists poised to shape the future, pairing critical overviews of their work with reflections from over 100 tastemakers across the art world. Ozwyn’s inclusion marks a significant moment in an expanding career that has recently included the RCA BLK x Yinka Shonibare Foundation residency at G.A.S. Foundation in Lagos and a growing list of exhibitions across the UK and internationally.
Photograph courtesy of Gaia Ozwyn
Emma Prempeh’s What’s Left (2024) Enters the Tate Collection
Emma Prempeh marks a significant milestone with the acquisition of her 2024 diptych What’s Left into the Tate collection. Created following a return trip to St. Vincent and the Grenadines with her mother—more than fifty years after she left the island for the UK—the painting reflects on migration, inheritance, and the enduring bonds of family, love, and sacrifice. First presented in Prempeh’s solo exhibition Wandering Under a Shifting Sun at Tiwani Contemporary in 2024, the work carries a resonance that extends beyond the canvas, preserving a shared history for future generations. The acquisition is made possible with the support of G.A.S. Residency Partner, Tiwani Contemporary, Tate, and a private donor.
What’s Left (2024), Image courtesy of Emma Prempeh