Last week, we welcomed multidisciplinary artist and photographer Rachel Anyo for a six-week residency at G.A.S. Lagos. Based in Israel and drawing from her Ethiopian heritage, Rachel’s practice encompasses installation, photography, and textile arts, delving into themes of identity, femininity, and cultural heritage. Blending traditional Ethiopian weaving techniques with digital collage and photography, she creates layered visual compositions that reinterpret personal and collective histories, challenging conventional narratives of belonging and representation.
During her residency, Rachel plans to immerse herself in Lagos' artistic and cultural landscape, researching Nigerian art history, material culture, and archival practices. She is particularly interested in how artists and artisans use textiles and images to document stories of migration, memory, and identity. To deepen her research, she intends to visit museums, galleries, and artist studios, drawing connections between her own hybrid cultural background and the histories embedded in Nigerian artistic traditions. Alongside her independent study, Rachel hopes to engage in meaningful exchanges with local artists and craftspeople, learning from their techniques while exploring new approaches to storytelling through collage and photography.
In addition to her research, Rachel aims to create new work that reflects her experiences in Lagos, integrating themes of cultural memory and representation. She also plans to host an interactive collage workshop, inviting participants to explore personal and collective narratives through visual storytelling. By facilitating this exchange, she hopes to foster dialogue around identity, history, and artistic practice.
ABA-IMA PORTRAIT, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.
What is the current focus of your creative practice?
The current focus of my creative practice is the deconstruction and reassembly of images, both digitally and physically. I work with a collection of photographs and scanned images sourced from family albums, personal archives, online platforms, and magazines. These materials serve as the foundation for exploring themes of memory, identity, and culture, creating visual narratives that bridge the personal and collective.
In my process, I emphasize the distinction between "looking" and "observing." While looking can be a passive act, observing requires deeper engagement—an intentional consideration of not just the surface, but also the hidden meanings within an image. Through this lens, I manipulate images using collage techniques to examine how identity and memory are constructed and reconstructed, revealing layers of meaning that connect personal experiences to broader historical and cultural contexts.
THE CREATURE, 2023. Image courtesy of the artist.
What drew you to apply for this residency and how do you think it will inform your wider practice?
I applied for this residency because I see it as an invaluable opportunity to engage with Nigeria’s dynamic cultural and artistic environment—a place of profound personal and artistic significance. As an artist with a complex, hybrid identity rooted in Ethiopian, Jewish, and Israeli cultures, I am constantly exploring the intersections between these influences and the broader African diasporic experience. This residency offers a unique chance to immerse myself in Nigeria’s rich artistic traditions and contemporary practices, particularly in a city like Lagos, which serves as a vibrant hub for creativity and innovation.
The opportunity to engage with Nigerian artists, local traditions, and art history will allow me to deepen my exploration of identity, belonging, and the complexities of cultural expression. The ways in which Nigerian artists merge past and present, tradition and innovation, closely align with my own practice, where I seek to bridge different cultural narratives and histories. I am particularly excited about the possibility of learning from local artisans, studying their techniques, and understanding how their art engages with the surrounding community.
Through this residency, I hope to expand my artistic language, particularly in the ways I use digital media, collage, and image manipulation to reflect on themes of memory and heritage. It will be an opportunity to refine my approach to deconstructing and reassembling visual narratives, drawing inspiration from how Nigerian artists incorporate both personal and collective histories into their work. Additionally, this experience will allow me to reflect on the significance of African art in the global art scene and consider how I can contribute to that dialogue while staying true to my own identity and cultural perspective. In the long term, I believe this residency will serve as a catalyst for deeper engagement with my artistic practice, enabling me to create work that not only reflects my experiences and heritage but also contributes to a broader, more inclusive conversation about identity, culture, and contemporary art.
SEAFET (MANDALA), 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.
Can you give us an insight into how you hope to use the opportunity?
I plan to use this residency to further explore and expand my practice of deconstructing and reassembling images, integrating both digital and physical methods. By photographing, scanning, and collecting new images from Nigerian sources—such as personal archives, family albums, and local publications—I aim to enrich my ongoing exploration of memory, cultural identity, and history. The residency also presents an opportunity to connect with the local community, particularly young people and children, through workshops and collaborative art-making. I believe art is a powerful tool for expression and storytelling, and I hope to create a platform for others to engage with their cultural narratives through collage.
Immersing myself in Lagos' artistic and cultural environment will allow me to deepen my understanding of global art practices while fostering meaningful connections with local artists. This experience will not only inform my current work but also shape the direction of my future projects, blending my personal heritage with new insights and perspectives.
ABOUT RACHEL ANYO
Rachel Anyo (b. Kiryat Yam, Israel) is a multidisciplinary artist and photographer whose work explores identity, femininity, and cultural heritage. Merging traditional Ethiopian folklore with contemporary digital techniques, she creates a unique visual language, reinterpreting hand weaving through family photographs, digital collages, mandalas, and woven compositions. Anyo has held solo exhibitions, including Figure Coming to Life at the Haifa Museum of Art (2024) and A Love Letter to Myself at Maya Gallery (2023), and has participated in several group exhibitions. Beyond her studio practice, Anyo is committed to community-based art initiatives, working to make contemporary art accessible to underserved audiences. She amplifies the voices of marginalized communities, especially the Israeli-Ethiopian community, through collaborative projects, workshops, and exhibitions. Her focus on community engagement fosters social change and enriches the discourse around cultural identity and representation.
Rachel's Anyo is generously supported by Artis Contemporary.
