In March 2025, Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation, in partnership with the Yinka Shonibare Foundation (Y.S.F.), announced the pilot edition of the Ìmòra Arts Intensive, an initiative designed to support the professional development of emerging local artists. Taking its name from the Yoruba words Ìmòra (support, guidance, mentorship) and ìmò ẹkọ (acquisition of knowledge or skill-building), the programme offers early-career visual fine artists based in Lagos a unique opportunity to gain practical knowledge, expand their networks, and refine their approach to professional practice.

On the morning of Thursday, 24 April 2025, Gasworks hosted a guided tour for patrons of Y.S.F. to mark the opening of throwers, the first UK solo exhibition by Nolan Oswald Dennis, a Johannesburg-based artist and G.A.S. Foundation Alumnus. The event began with opening remarks by Gasworks Director Robert Leckie, followed by an introduction to Dennis’ practice led by Gasworks Curator Rosa Tyhurst in conversation with the artist. 

On April 26th, 2025, G.A.S. Lagos hosted an information session for the 2026 edition of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) and University of the Western Cape (UWC) Museum Fellowship Programme. The session offered a valuable opportunity for aspiring museum and arts professionals to learn more about the programme’s scope, application process, and the kind of academic and professional development it supports. Designed for early-career practitioners based on the African continent, the year-long fellowship combines practical experience at Zeitz MOCAA with academic study at UWC, with a strong emphasis on curatorial practice, heritage studies, conservation, and museology.

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.