In January and February 2025, G.A.S. Foundation hosted five residents whose research interests spanned traditional local textiles, ethnobotany, and indigenous ceramic practices. Their methodologies included direct engagement with materials and makers, archival research, and critical discourse. These approaches led to the development of new work and research enquiries, as well as a series of community engagement activations in Ikise and Lagos, each shaped by the specific local context encountered.
The first resident to arrive was Bisila Noha, a Spanish-Equatoguinean ceramic artist, researcher, and writer. Based in London, her practice examines heritage, craft, and community, using ceramics to challenge Western perspectives on art and productivity. She completed a six-week residency across both G.A.S. locations, dividing her time between G.A.S. Lagos and the G.A.S. Farm House in Ijebu.
Bisila at a studio visit in the Ayobo pottery community (L) and during a resist-dye workshop in Osogbo (R).
In Lagos, she engaged with the Ayobo Pottery Community on the northeastern border of Lagos State, initially connecting with ceramicist Djakou Kassi Nathalie, followed by artists Adeoti Azeez Afeez and Olúbùnmi Atẹ́rẹ́. Her time in the city included research trips across Southwestern Nigeria, visiting pottery sites in Osogbo and meeting artists from the New Sacred Art Movement. She also travelled to the historic Okelele quarters of Ilorin to observe and engage with Dada pottery makers.
At the G.A.S. Farm House, she worked with local clay and collaborated with women potters from the nearby Ìgànrán Pottery Community. This exchange provided insight into their techniques, from sourcing and preparing clay to hand-building and firing pots. The process, spanning several weeks, involved multiple return visits.
Bisila sourcing clay for pottery making in Ìgànrán.
To conclude her residency, Bisila hosted Ilé Ọkàn – A Gathering at the House of the Soul on 13th February 2025, bringing together fellow residents, staff, and members of the Ayobo Pottery Community. The event centred on Ilé Ọkàn, a temporary structure she created from 27 reclaimed bricks from the Farm House construction and 85 hand-crafted tiles made from local clay, blended with Ìgànrán clay. The design was inspired by Nupe flooring tiles she encountered during research in the G.A.S. Library and Picton Archive. A virtual residency presentation uncovering the traditions and techniques of the Ìgànrán potters followed on 20th March 2025.
Bisila Noha and attendees at her residency event, Ilé Ọkàn – A Gathering at the House of the Soul.
Nathalie Eggenschwiler, a Swiss accessories designer, has embarked on a twelve-week residency based primarily at G.A.S. Lagos, with one week dedicated to spending time at the G.A.S. Farm House in Ikise. While her residency primarily focuses on textile research, she is expanding her exploration beyond her primary field. Throughout her time in Nigeria, she visited both historical and contemporary centers of textile production in the Southwest, including the Nike Art Foundation in Osogbo, where she took part in a resist-dye workshop, and Itoko Quarters in Abeokuta, a major center for Adire production in Nigeria.
Nathalie participating in a resist-dye work at the Nike Art Foundation workshop in Osogbo.
Nathalie also spent time with Aso oke weaving communities in Ilorin, learning about the time-honoured practice from local practitioners. There, she was able to visit large-scale textile production centers, including one run by the Nigerian government, and workshops run by globally renowned artisanal Nigerian designers, such as Kadiju, Kkerele, This is Us, and Eki Kere.
Textile experiment conducted by Nathalie during her stay at the G.A.S. Farm House.
During her week at the G.A.S. Farm House in Ikise, Nathalie was able to create new fabric swatches that incorporated found natural materials. With a practice that extends beyond textiles, the residency provided a valuable opportunity to engage with new creative disciplines, including pottery and sculpture. This exploration fostered a cross-polination of ideas with her co-resident, Bisila Noha. As part of her residency, Nathalie is organising a workshop in Lagos where participants will be introduced to the practice of weaving using handmade looms.
Nathalie Eggenschwiler at the base of Olumo Rock, in Abeokuta
Eva-Maria Bertschy's two-week residency at G.A.S. Foundation in January 2025 focused on the trade history of African (Swiss) lace and its connections to the Vorarlberg region in Austria. A Swiss playwright, dramaturg, and director, Eva-Maria is known for her work with GROUP50:50, a collective that explores colonial legacies and globalisation through documentary and political music theater. During her residency, she engaged with wax and lace traders, researchers, and artists while exploring local markets, historical warehouses, and the role of the Union Trading Company in Nigeria. Her research trips included visits to major Swiss and Austrian fabric vendors, focusing on Lagos’ Idumota market and Ikeja.
Eva-Maria discussing with a Dutch wax print (Ankara) retailer in Idumota, Lagos Island.
Eva also visited the University of Ibadan’s Theatre Arts Department, attended student performances of Opera Wonyosi by Wole Soyinka, and connected with academics specialising in textile studies from the Universities of Lagos and Ibadan, including Professor Peju Layiwola. Her findings revealed the economic and political realities of the market, including the inheritance of fabric shops, the practice of Nigerian importers traveling to Austria and Switzerland for materials, and the impact of Chinese-produced Swiss-imitation lace. In Lagos, she hosted a film screening and discussion titled Ecosystems by Group 50:50, which explored environmental conservation in the Congo Basin.
Eva Maria hosting a panel discussion at her film screening and discussion titled Ecosystems by Group 50:50
Jonn Gale, a Bulgarian-Nigerian ethnobotanist, began a twelve-week PhD placement at G.A.S. in February, funded by CHASE, the Consortium for the Humanities & the Arts South-East England. Based in London, her work combines photography, sound, research, and ecology to explore multi-species relationships and the historical role of plants. As part of her PhD at Birkbeck, University of London, in collaboration with the Linnean Society of London, she has been investigating the overlooked contributions of Black and Indigenous naturalists to 18th- and 19th-century botanical knowledge, aiming to develop decolonial approaches to archival research. Her residency is split between G.A.S. Lagos and the G.A.S. Farm House in Ijebu.
In Lagos, she is conducting research in the G.A.S. Library and Picton Archive while collaborating with local practitioners, including the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, Onikan. At the Farm House, she is documenting traditional agricultural practices and biocultural conservation efforts by working with plant growers and healers. Her residency focuses on reimagining botanical archiving, facilitating community-centered workshops, and creating an accessible botanical archive integrating physical and digital elements. Jonn also plans to curate a Reader on arts, botany, agriculture, and ecology, drawing from G.A.S. resources and new documentation. This residency aligns with her PhD research and aims to expand her understanding of African ethnobotanical knowledge systems.
John Gale collecting plant samples in Ikise Ijebu
During his six-week residency at G.A.S. Lagos, the second recipient of the Tilga Art Fund residency, Ugo Ahiakwo immersed himself in an environment of experimentation and dialogue, expanding the conceptual and material boundaries of his sculptural practice. Engaging deeply with Lagos’ creative ecosystem, he navigated the intersections of sculpture, design, and sound, staging intimate listening sessions that recontextualised his works within a multisensory experience. His research at the G.A.S. Library and Picton Archive informed new trajectories in his practice, while visits to his automotive painter’s workshop refined the surfaces and finishes of his pieces. Ahiakwo’s intuitive engagement with materials, treating them as active collaborators, remained central to his process. To conclude his residency, he is organising Indulgence Before Consequence, a solo exhibition of new sculptural works.
Ugo Ahiakwo in residence. The Sinful Woman Washes Jesus' Feet, 2025.