Guest Artists Space Foundation has opened applications for self-funded artist residencies in Lagos and Ogun State. The international programme runs from April 2027 to July 2028, with applications closing on 7 December 2026.
The residencies last four to eight weeks and are self-funded. Published fees range from £4,750 for four weeks to £9,500 for eight weeks. Applying is free, and fees become payable only after selection and a formal offer.
The call opened on 8 October and welcomes practitioners across the arts, culture, research and ecology. Applicants do not have to describe themselves primarily as artists. Proposals must connect with at least one of three areas: ecology, farming and food; materiality, craft and identity; or archives and publishing.
Residents will have time for research and experimentation without a requirement to complete an artwork or stage an exhibition. Exchanges with others may include a workshop, screening, conversation or presentation of work in progress.
The application pack sets a minimum age of 23 and requires an active practice or established area of enquiry, spoken English and the ability to meet the costs. Applicants may seek external funding, but successful candidates must confirm that funding is in place four months before their residency begins.
The fees cover accommodation, housekeeping, shared workspaces, library access, airport transfers, visa documentation support and scheduled local transport. International travel, visa fees, insurance, specialist materials, personal spending and additional project travel remain the resident’s responsibility. Meals vary between the two locations.
G.A.S. can supply selected applicants with invitation letters and information for external funders. Selection is competitive and independent of the source of funding. An international panel, due to be announced in November, will assess the proposed enquiry, its relevance to the chosen site and its feasibility.
British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare established G.A.S. Foundation in Nigeria and the partner Yinka Shonibare Foundation in Britain in 2019. The Nigerian organisation operates public programmes and residential spaces, while its British partner supports international partnerships and fundraising.
The Lagos building is in Oniru, where accommodation and communal facilities share a site with spaces for studio work, events and research. Architects Elsie Owusu and Nihinlola Shonibare designed the building around a central courtyard.
Its library includes a collection donated by Professor John Picton and Sue Picton in 2022. Approximately 1,500 volumes cover subjects including African art, history and archaeology, alongside African American and Black British arts.
The second site, G.A.S. Farm House, stands on the 54-acre Ecology Green Farm at Ikiṣẹ, near Ijebu Ode in Ogun State. Designed by architect Papa Omotayo, it places residential and working facilities within a farming environment. The foundation identifies crops grown there including yams, cassava, peppers and cashews.
The two settings offer different bases for a residency: an urban cultural and research space in Lagos and a working farm in Ogun. G.A.S. operates visits and public access through its programmes rather than as unrestricted entry to the residential buildings.
Applications are submitted through the form linked from the foundation’s official open-call page. The published programme period ends in July 2028.
Archival photograph: Yinka Shonibare, 25 April 2012. Daren Clarke / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Image resized.
