The Finnish Cultural Foundation is pleased to partner with Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation in Nigeria to provide two fully funded, eight-week residencies, which will be awarded to Finnish or Finland-based artists, curators, or writers to work at G.A.S. sites in Lagos and Ijebu. The opportunity is open to practitioners across various career stages, working in the visual arts, literature, curatorial practice, or intersecting disciplines, who engage with themes of material culture, ecology, and archives within a dynamic transnational context. Proficiency in English is essential, and proposals should demonstrate critical engagement with the local context and residency focus areas.
Applications for the 2025 residency grants may be submitted from 10 to 29 August 2025, closing at 16:00 (Finnish time). Selected practitioners will undertake residencies at G.A.S. Foundation, with working periods scheduled for April 6–May 31 and August 24–October 18, 2025. Each residency includes a working grant of €5,500, with additional support for international travel. The Finnish Cultural Foundation will manage the application and selection process in alignment with its broader international programme.
About the G.A.S. Residencies
Founded by British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, G.A.S. Foundation facilitates transdisciplinary residencies and public programming across two sites in Nigeria: a contemporary, architecturally distinctive building in Lagos and a 54-acre working farm in Ikise, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State. The Lagos site, situated in Oniru, offers private ensuite accommodation, a specialist library of over 1,500 titles focused on African and diasporic visual culture, and dedicated on-site staff and support services. The rural counterpart in Ikise offers a more immersive ecological context, making it ideal for practices that investigate environmental, agricultural, and material systems.
While the selected artists will be primarily based in Lagos, there may be opportunities for short stays at the Farm to deepen context-specific research. Accommodation, local transport, and production support are provided at both sites, along with a modest project budget for research or public engagement activities.
Further details and application guidelines can be found via the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s website.