Artwork sales proceeds of Yinka Shonibare are channeled towards charitable contributions towards Africa.
G.A.S. Foundation: A Pioneer in International Artistic Exchange
The Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation, founded by British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare CBE RA in Nigeria, is a nonprofit artist residency dedicated to fostering global artistic and cultural exchange, with a particular focus on African and Afro-diasporic art and culture.
Established in 2019 (with some sources marking official activity from 2022 onward), the G.A.S. Foundation serves as a vital node in Africa's contemporary art ecosystem. It supports residency programs that encourage creative dialogue between Nigerian and international artists, enhancing the visibility and impact of African art on the global stage.
One of the Foundation's notable collaborations is with the Yinka Shonibare Foundation (Y.S.F.) on the multi-year program, Re:assemblages. This initiative, beginning in 2025, aims to reimagine the stewardship and activation of African and Afro-diasporic art archives and library collections. It involves international convenings, symposia, micro-publications, and intensive research, with the goal of deepening understanding and reinterpreting postcolonial art histories and archival practices.
The G.A.S. Foundation's impact extends beyond Nigeria. It has partnered with esteemed institutions such as Goodman Gallery, South London Gallery, Tiwani Contemporary, University of the Arts London, and ART X Lagos on various projects and initiatives.
The Foundation's main building, G.A.S. Lagos Residency, provides spaces for accommodation, events, and studios. Additionally, it owns the G.A.S. Farm House residency on a 54-acre plot in Ijebu, Ogun State. This farm produces crops like cassava, tomatoes, maize, pawpaw, and pepper, and supports transdisciplinary research and practice in areas including agronomy, food sustainability, and architecture.
Notable residents at the G.A.S. Foundation include multidisciplinary Malagasy artist Joey Aresoa, who will be in residency later this year, as well as Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Portia Zvavahera, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Emma Prempeh, Joy Labinjo, Evan Ifekoya, Osei Bonsu, and curator and researcher Lynhan Balatbat-Helbock, who was the Foundation's first resident in 2022.
The Foundation's work has garnered praise from esteemed figures in the art world. Gus Casely-Hayford OBE, director of London's V&A East and the former director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, has praised Shonibare's work for its importance in crafting a detailed understanding of Africa's past and its cathartic and inspiring nature. Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi, an art historian and a curator in the Museum of Modern Art's painting and sculpture department, has called Shonibare "one of the most perceptive artists" of the 21st Century and emphasized the importance of his legacy in giving back to the African art scene through the G.A.S. Foundation.
Currently, Yinka Shonibare is having an exhibition at Fondation H in Madagascar, which is being billed as his biggest solo show to date in Africa. The G.A.S. Foundation's collaborative, cross-cultural initiative, Art Exchange: Moving Image, with LUX, a UK arts foundation supporting and promoting visual artists working with moving image, is also part of this year's edition of Re:assemblages. The African Arts Libraries Lab, an initiative to foster intra-African and global collaboration on African and Afro-diasporic library collections, is also part of the programming for this year's Re:assemblages. A two-day symposium on November 4 and 5 during Lagos Art Week is also part of the Foundation's programming for this year's edition of Re:assemblages.
In conclusion, the G.A.S. Foundation is a critical hub for advancing contemporary African art and its global dialogue. Through its residency programs, collaborations, and innovative initiatives like Re:assemblages, it strengthens artistic exchange across continents, enriches postcolonial art discourse, builds networks between artists, scholars, and institutions dedicated to African and Afro-diasporic culture, and enhances archival and curatorial practices connected to African art heritage.
- The Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation supports creative dialogue between Nigerian and international artists.
- The Foundation's primary focus is on African and Afro-diasporic art and culture.
- Re:assemblages, a multi-year program by the G.A.S. Foundation, aims to reimagine African and Afro-diasporic art archives and library collections.
- Established institutions like Goodman Gallery, South London Gallery, Tiwani Contemporary, University of the Arts London, and ART X Lagos have partnered with the G.A.S. Foundation.
- The G.A.S. Lagos Residency provides spaces for accommodation, events, and studios for international artists.
- G.A.S. Farm House residency supports transdisciplinary research and practice in areas including agronomy, food sustainability, and architecture.
- Malagasy artist Joey Aresoa and several other artists like Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Portia Zvavahera, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Emma Prempeh, Joy Labinjo, Evan Ifekoya, Osei Bonsu, and curator Lynhan Balatbat-Helbock, have been residents at the G.A.S. Foundation.
- Gus Casely-Hayford OBE, director of London's V&A East, has praised Yinka Shonibare's work for its importance in crafting a detailed understanding of Africa's past.
- Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi, an art historian and curator in the Museum of Modern Art's painting and sculpture department, has called Shonibare "one of the most perceptive artists" of the 21st Century.
- Yinka Shonibare is currently having an exhibition at Fondation H in Madagascar, which is being billed as his biggest solo show in Africa.
- The G.A.S. Foundation's collaborative initiative, Art Exchange: Moving Image, with LUX, a UK arts foundation, is part of this year's Re:assemblages.
- The African Arts Libraries Lab, an initiative to foster intra-African and global collaboration on African and Afro-diasporic library collections, is also part of the programming for Re:assemblages.
- A two-day symposium on November 4 and 5 during Lagos Art Week is part of the Foundation's programming for this year's Re:assemblages, making it a critical hub for advancing contemporary African art globally.
