Yinka Shonibare CBE has announced a new artist residency opening in Lagos in 2021. Guest Artists Space Lagos will complement Shonibare’s London creative hub, Guest Projects, which supports regular artist residencies as well as food-centred events at The Artist Dining Room.

G.A.S Lagos will offer artists three month residencies and seeks to provide opportunities for exchange between established and emerging artists. The space will also create links between Nigerian and African artists and the international creative community, in particular amplifying the enormous creative energy demonstrated in Lagos at events such as Lagos X.

“I think Nigeria is ready for this kind of thing. There are more spaces opening in Lagos, and more artists are finding buyers for their work—collectors are growing in number. It just seems to be the right time.” - Yinka Shonibare in an interview with Elephant Magazine in July.

As well as the new space in Lagos, Shonibare plans to create residency space at an ecological farm in Ijebu, a rural area three hours from the city. Connecting rural and urban locations emphasises the relationship between rural and urban, artists and non-artists, humans and nonhuman species. The rural space will dedicate time and resources to pressing issues of food security in the area. 

With work in Lagos and Ijebu underway, the new internationally-focused Guest Artists Space and its rural complement are scheduled to open in 2021 and will act as a hub for artists from around the world.

Top image - Wind Sculpture VI, Ndubuisi Kanu Park in Ikeja, Lagos. Image credit - Mujib Waziri