London-based ethnobotanist Jonn Gale, whose work explores botanical collections and their cultural significance, recently concluded a 12-week residency at G.A.S. Foundation. Structured as part of her PhD placement, her residency was primarily based at the G.A.S. Farm House in Ikise. During her time there, Jonn focused on reimagining botanical archiving, designing and facilitating community-centered workshops, and contributing to ongoing knowledge-sharing initiatives. Central to her research was an engagement with local plant growers, healers, and other knowledge-keepers. Through these interactions, she documented traditional agricultural practices, herbal knowledge, and biocultural conservation efforts, forming the basis for what she calls a living botanical archive.

Shatha Afify, an interdisciplinary artist and storyteller, joins us at G.A.S. Lagos for a six-week residency as the 2025 recipient of the G.A.S. Fellowship Award supported by Deutsche Bank. Her multifaceted practice spans installation, moving image, performance, sound, research, curatorial work, and literature. Shatha’s work interrogates themes of memory, silence, and resistance, drawing on both personal and collective histories, with a particular emphasis on Egyptian and African cultural narratives.

On May 3rd, 2025, G.A.S. Lagos hosted Retelling and Creating New Memories, a collage workshop led by multidisciplinary artist Rachel Anyo in collaboration with The Children’s Art Gallery (TCAG). The 90-minute session invited children aged 9 to 17 to explore storytelling and memory through hands-on collage making, discovering how personal stories and photographs could be transformed into powerful creative material.

On April 30th, 2025, G.A.S. Lagos hosted Unearthing the Archive, an evening of discussion exploring the role of archives in contemporary artistic practice. Facilitated by Aisha Seriki and Joy Labinjo, the event brought together G.A.S. alumna Mobolaji Ogunrosoye and photographer and writer Amaize Ojeikere, son of the legendary J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere. Together, the panellists reflected on how archival materials shape their work as tools for uncovering hidden narratives, bridging personal and collective histories, and reimagining the past through a contemporary lens.

The G.A.S. Library and Picton Archive is delighted to announce the receipt of 43 print materials of Black Orpheus journal, a rare collection of publications from local partner OlongoAfrica. This two year loan will facilitate the work of OlongoAfrica’s Black Orpheus Fellowship, and greatly enhance G.A.S. Foundation’s existing archive collection.