Shonibare, who was raised between London and Lagos, is employing his socially engaged practice to tackle the complex relationship between colonialism and ecological devastation.

Are you interested in exploring the G.A.S. Library and Picton Archive? Five weeks into the Annotations Programme, G.A.S. Foundation invites you to share in our learnings on archival practice, and to explore our research into Pan-African Festivals such as FESTAC '77. Join us for a reading session hosted by our Research Associates and Interns-in-Residence, developed in response to the mentorship of Archival Consciousness, who work with archivists and institutions to make library collections more accessible.

Four weeks into her residency program at GAS Foundation, Katesi Kalange has delved into extensive reading and research on the potential of recycling non-biodegradable materials like single-use plastics and second-hand clothes. Drawing inspiration from Nigeria's vernacular architecture, She embarked on a journey to merge sustainability with cultural influences. Last week marked a pivotal moment as she transitioned from theoretical exploration to practical fieldwork.

A Gathering on Art and Land is a day centring art and design-led approaches to planting, farming, seeding, gardening and burying. Through conversations and presentations, the event explores our relationship to the land, using ground and soil practices to start ecological conversations and reveal their potential for transformation, regeneration, and hope. The programme includes a talk with Yinka Shonibare CBE RA who will discuss his exhibition Suspended States and his ongoing commitment to environmentalism and interdisciplinary exchange in his practice. This will be followed by G.A.S. residency alumni and RCA BLK members Remi Kuforiji and Graeme Smith, in conversation with Yinka Shonibare Foundation CEO Belinda Holden.

To conclude a collaboration with Peter Abayomi of Eran Jije Project initiated on arrival in Lagos, Katesi Kalange returned to Bariga to share the outputs of her residency with the local residents some of whom had been instrumental in helping her shape her residency project. Shortly after arriving in the city, Katesi conducted a community cleaning drive in the Isale-Akoka area of Bariga that was followed by in-depth material research, experimentation, and collaboration with artisans and recycling organisations in Lagos and beyond.

Annotations is a six-month project that explores major African cultural festivals and their dual nature as historic events and repositories of postcolonial pan-African encounters. Led by co-curators Naima Hassan (Interim Picton Archivist) and Maryam Kazeem (iranti press), Annotations will explore the entangled histories of FESMAN, Panaf, Zaire 74, and FESTAC’77 through a pedagogical programme, residency and publication. To coincide with the launch of Annotation, we spoke to curators Naima and Maryam to uncover their collaborative journey and delve into how their shared interests and individual initiatives converged to shape the curatorial vision for the project.

METAmorphosis concluded Katesi Kalange's 10-week residency and acted as a forum for her to synthesise her research and experiential observations, and share them with our community in Lagos. The title is representative of the transformation that is inherent in her practice and illustrates her commitment to reconceptualising waste materials into new forms. In her opening presentation, Katesi provided a comprehensive overview of her residency and discussed the challenges she encountered, alongside the strategies she employed to address them. She was also able to detail her production methodologies and acknowledged the collaborative efforts that underpinned the project.