G.A.S. Foundation entered the month of November rounding up the Lagos Art Tour itinerary, and welcoming 2023’s final residents, TK Smith, Elsa James, and Alberta Whittle. Curator and cultural historian, TK Smith, was the first to arrive in Lagos for a six-week stay supported by Barnes Foundation. After several days basking in Lagos' annual Art Week, TK was joined by Essex-based artist, filmmaker, researcher, and activist Elsa James and acclaimed Barbadian-Scottish artist Alberta Whittle. All three residents began a collaborative, travel-filled stay at G.A.S. with a group trip to Benin City diligently facilitated by G.A.S. Residency Co-ordinator, Adekunle Adeboye.

On 8th December join us for Reflections, an evening of dialogue and a residency retrospective hosted by multidisciplinary artist Elsa James. Elsa's residency has taken her to the historically significant sites of Badagry, Oshogbo, and Benin City, each of which holds profound meaning both for Africans based on the continent, and those of African descent in the Caribbean.

In early December, Yinka Shonibare Foundation had the pleasure of co-hosting the six participants of the Art Exchange: Moving Image programme in London for an immersive one-week residency. This dynamic initiative, tailored for early to mid-career visual arts curators from Sub-Saharan Africa specialising in moving image projects, provided a unique space for cultural exchange and peer-led professional development. The week-long experience opened doors for engagement with various moving image collections, interactions with artists in the field, and meetings with curators across institutional, independent, and gallery backgrounds.

In July 2023, the open call for the second G.A.S. Fellowship Award was unveiled. This fully-supported opportunity welcomed emerging creative practitioners from diverse disciplines residing in the West African region. The 2023 edition specifically welcomed applications from emerging practitioners whose work is rooted in the realms of Materiality, Ecology, Food, Environment, and History in the Present.

The judging panel was impressed by the wealth of talent, the quality, and the diversity of artistic practices presented. After careful consideration of the 160 applications received, we are thrilled to announce the selection of three winners. Two of these talented individuals will be embarking on their residencies at G.A.S. Lagos, while the third will have the unique opportunity to research and create at our sister location, the G.A.S. Ecology Green Farm in Ijebu.

On the 6th of November, TK Smith, curator-in-residence at G.A.S. invited curators from across the city of Lagos, to converse over a shared meal as an opportunity to engage in open conversation about the intricacies and nuances of curatorial labor. Guests were invited to consider how curatorial practices manifest across different geographical, cultural, and economic contexts whilst responding to provocations such as: How can the curatorial community best serve its diverse audiences?