Following an exciting announcement on her new gallery representation by Regen Projects, Glasgow-based G.A.S. Alumnus and celebrated multidisciplinary artist, Alberta Whittle will debut her first exhibition with the gallery on March 16, 2024. This comes following the conclusion of her residency at G.A.S. Foundation, alongside Elsa James and TK Smith. The work in this exhibition revisits her travels in Nigeria, some having begun while in residence at G.A.S. Lagos. Entitled 'Learning a New Punctuation for Hope in Times of Disaster', Alberta’s exhibition at Regen Projects exemplifies the artist’s interdisciplinary approach to cultivating community and care as an antidote to catastrophes, from ecological collapse to the legacy of anti-Blackness. The exhibition presents Lagareh – The Last Born, 2022 for the first time in North America beside a suite of new paintings and sculptural works. Blending tender portraiture with more abstract passages and symbols, Alberta’s paintings reflect her own lived and embodied experience and desire to cultivate moments of rest, reflection, and kinship with and for others.

In May 2023 Yinka Shonibare Foundation and Guest Artists Space Foundation announced a new collaborative open call with Tilga Art Fund, a philanthropic initiative launched by our residency Patron, Wally Bakare, to foster criticality, broaden artistic practice and engage new and exciting modes of art-making among young contemporary African artists. The 2023 edition of the prize was targeted at young artists across all creative disciplines working and living in Uganda, or of Ugandan descent. 

Curated by KJ Abudu, Traces of Ecstasy is an architectural pavilion, art exhibition, and symposium that premiered at the 2024 Lagos Biennial. Guided by the biennial's overarching theme of refuge, the curatorial project critically responds to the charged historical residues of Tafawa Balewa Square, taking its constitutive role in postcolonial nation-building as a point of departure. Traces of Ecstasy aims to unsettle the colonial capitalist power structures that maintain and reproduce the ideological legitimacy of the nation-state in post/neocolonial Africa and the wider world.

Welcoming Remi Kuforiji, an architect, spatial practitioner, and researcher, to our G.A.S. Lagos residency. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Remi's work delves into the nuanced intersections of race politics, mapping, and performance. His project, Water No Get Enemy: Counter-Cartographies Of Diaspora, redefines Nigerian masquerade as a critical tool in cartography, challenging the neo-colonial exploitation of the Niger Delta's resources. During his residency, Remi aims to conduct first-person research on Lagosian masquerades, exploring their impact in contrast to resource extraction in Lagos.

RCA BLK and Yinka Shonibare Foundation (UK) today announce their partnership on a new artist residency programme in Lagos, Nigeria. Together, the organisations will host two residencies in spring 2024, in collaboration with Guest Artists Space Foundation (G.A.S) in Nigeria; one for an exceptional early/mid-career artist who is an RCA BLK member; and one for a research-based proposal from the wider RCA BLK community.

The Yinka Shonibare Foundation, Guest Artists Space Foundation, and British Council collaborated to create a cultural nexus by hosting a group of visual art curators in Lagos during the 4th edition of the Lagos Biennial. Joined by G.A.S. friends, Biennial VIPs and our patrons, the group participated in an immersive programme that took place between the 2nd and 7th of February and included participation in the official programme of the Lagos Biennial alongside in-depth tours of local institutions, artist studios, collections and galleries.

RCA BLK  aims to promote, improve and advance education by encouraging and supporting the practice of contemporary visual artists who identify as Black within the RCA’s wider community. They do so by fostering relationships with pre-enrolled students, current students as well as alumni. RCA BLK makes its impact on students' experience from the African diaspora and builds upon the rich legacies of the RCA student body. 

We are thrilled to announce that Rafael Kouto began an exciting new residency at G.A.S. Foundation, supported by the Swiss Arts Council, Pro Helvetia. A multidisciplinary creator with a focus on fashion, design, research, and materiality, Rafael brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to our community. His diverse itinerary will take place across various locations, including G.A.S. Lagos, and G.A.S. Farm House in Ikise, after which he will go on to Ibadan. During this period, Rafael aims to explore local methodologies to circular fashion, specifically exploring how artists and designers engage with contemporary West African material culture, decolonization in fashion, and traditional crafts and rituals linked to the Yoruba community.

Sequel to their initial research residency to G.A.S. Lagos in the spring of 2023, we are thrilled to welcome US-based multidisciplinary artist, Raymond Pinto, to Nigeria on their second residency, a testament to the profound impact of their initial trip. Returning in January 2024, Raymond is gearing up for the Lagos Biennial, meticulously preparing performances that promise to captivate and resonate. 

The Swiss Arts Council promotes contemporary art and culture for national interest on behalf of the federal government. Its tasks, outlined in the Culture Promotion Act, are carried out independently. Active across disciplines except film, the council advocates for transdisciplinary artistic practices. It supports the creation and dissemination of Swiss art, fosters cultural exchange, provides stimuli for contemporary artistic development, and champions equal opportunity and sustainability in creating favorable conditions for artists and cultural practitioners.

To mark their return to G.A.S. Lagos, Raymond Pinto will be hosting Bridging Wildlife Conservation and Creative Expression, a panel discussion with the Green Fingers Foundation. Guided by their ethnographic and anthropological fascination with Yoruba material culture, Raymond forged a connection with wildlife conservation while researching the Yoruba tradition of Gelede, where masks held paramount significance. Notably, they gained access to several masks, including the Yale University Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gelede mask featuring pangolin figurines—the most trafficked mammal today. This exploration led Raymond to collaborate with the Green Fingers Foundation wildlife conservation NGO in Lagos, situated in Lekki. In this initiative, Raymond seeks to raise awareness about this crucial species integral to Nigeria's ecosystem.

Nolan Oswald Dennis, a versatile artist working across disciplines, is making a highly anticipated comeback to G.A.S. Lagos, following their initial research residency in January 2023. Supported by the Goodman Gallery, their first foray into Nigeria explored Nigerian post-colonial art education and the landscape of Nigerian modernism. Engaging in a whirlwind of activities, including interstate trips, site visits, interviews, and cultural research, Dennis conducted reconnaissance on locations slated for the upcoming edition of the Lagos Biennial.

Returning for a residency spanning from January 25th to February 7th, 2024, Nolan is now immersing themselves in preparations for the Lagos Biennial. This incubator period serves as a crucial phase for fine-tuning the details of the pavilion they are designing, which will hold artworks by former G.A.S. Residents, Evan Ifekoya, and Raymond Pinto. Beyond Lagos, Nolan expresses a keen interest in connecting with Ibadan and the New Culture Studio. Their research agenda extends to exploring the Nsukka school, the Mbari Artists and Writers Club, and other movements that defined Nigeria's modernist era.