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. 

Jacqueline Katesi Kalange, a multidisciplinary artist based in Kampala has begun her 10-week residency at G.A.S. Lagos.  Her artistic practice encompasses visual art, traditional crafts, sculpture, performance, architecture, and research. She plans to use the period in Lagos to expand her current practice which focuses on upcycling single-use plastics and second-hand clothes to create diverse and often monumental sculptures. Community engagement is a cornerstone of her residency plans and she intends to foster collaborations with local communities through workshops and convenings. 

Suspended States, the first solo exhibition of Y.S.F. and G.A.S. founder Yinka Shonibare CBE RA for over 20 years in a London public institution is now open at Serpentine Gallery. It marks a return for Shonibare who first exhibited at Serpentine South in 1992 as a finalist in the Barclays Young Artist Award, and as a participant in Serpentine's 2006 Interview Marathon. 

Suspended States includes both new and recent installations, sculptures, pictorial quilts and woodcut prints. The works on view explore central themes of legacies of colonial power, sites of refuge and shelter. Shonibare's new works centre on conflicts and related migration, and conversations on public sculptures and their significance in our cities. The exhibition also delves into the ecological impact of colonisation, the European legacy of imperialism and consequential attempts at peace.

We are delighted to open standard bookings for the third edition of the Yinka Shonibare Foundation Lagos Art Tour to Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation incorporating the wider creative and cultural community, and ART X Lagos. In 2024 the programme will run from 29th October until 3rd November. Guests will once again be in the company of our chair and founder Yinka Shonibare CBE RA and the trustees and staff of Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation, Yinka Shonibare Foundation (Y.S.F.), and be joined by globally renowned artists, curators and collectors.

Amanda Iheme, who emerged as one of the awardees of the G.A.S. Foundation's prestigious annual fellowship is undertaking a residency at G.A.S. Lagos, spanning from April 8 to May 31, 2024. During this residency, Amanda's ambitious agenda includes an exploration of African artists, particularly photographers, and the initiation of a comprehensive research study of vernacular and contemporary southwestern Nigerian architecture, as well as tropical modernism.

She is eager to tap into the rich resources of the library, benefiting from a conducive learning environment, and gaining access to invaluable connections within the organization. While currently engaged in ongoing projects, Amanda plans to kickstart the conceptualization process for new work during the residency. Collaborating with professionals across the building industry, she has expressed her desire to leverage their insights. Armed with her laptop, photography tools, iPad, and microphone, Amanda is well-prepared for this exciting new research.