Join us at G.A.S. Lagos on September 3rd, 2025, for Picturing Return: Afro-Brazilian Archives in Nigeria, an evening that traces the histories, images, and narratives of the Aguda community and their enduring presence in Nigeria. Current resident Pelumi Odubanjo will be in dialogue with scholar, curator, and researcher Oludamola Adebowale, as they explore the living archive of Afro-Brazilian presence in Nigeria.

The AAL Lab Convenings, titled Contemporary Art and Archive Practices in Context, are a series of public events that bring together the African Arts Libraries Lab (AAL Lab), its Affiliates Network, and wider audiences to engage in research-sharing and dialogue on contemporary art and archival practice. Informed by the conceptual threads of Re:assemblages 2025–26—Ecotones, The Short Century, Annotations, and The Living Archive—each convening features reflections from invited speakers and the AAL Lab’s inaugural cohort alongside contributions from the broader public.

We are excited to welcome Pelumi Odubanjo, a British-Nigerian curator, writer, and researcher, to G.A.S. Lagos as our last resident in August. Based between London and Glasgow, Pelumi’s practice spans photography, multidisciplinary research, curatorial work, and ecology. Currently a PhD candidate in History of Art at the University of Glasgow and a James McCune Smith Scholar, her work engages with photographic archives, artists, and cultural artefacts to explore dialogues across global Black diasporas and geographies.

In 2024, Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation and Yinka Shonibare Foundation (Y.S.F.) were awarded a $220,000 grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art. The two-year funding supports CULTIVATION: Art, Environment & Materiality at the G.A.S. Farm House in Ikiṣẹ, offering residencies for American-based artists exploring ecology, agriculture, and sustainable material practices. The first artist in residence was Dr. Ietef Vita, who joined G.A.S. in August 2025.

From June 30th to July 11th, 2025, the G.A.S. Farm House in Ikiṣẹ hosted My Story of Food: On The Farm!, a two-week creative learning programme in partnership with the Five Cowries Arts Education Initiative (FCI). Bringing together teachers and students from St. John’s Primary School Ikiṣẹ, the programme transformed their classrooms into a collaborative space where food, art, and storytelling intertwined. Guided by Titilayo Mathias of FCI, with support from St. John’s teachers, sessions explored indigenous foods, food systems, and sustainability through hands-on workshops in doodling, stitching, and paper craft. Alongside nurturing creativity, critical thinking, and tactile skills, the programme also supported teachers with co-learning and facilitation models.