Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation has been selected to participate in the Main Exhibition of the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, opening to the public on May 9, 2026 at the Arsenale in Venice.
The exhibition runs until November 22, 2026, with preview days on May 6–8.
The Nigerian non-profit, founded in 2019 by artist Yinka Shonibare CBE, was invited by curator Koyo Kouoh, whose edition of the Biennale is titled “In Minor Keys”. Kouoh’s selection frames the residency not merely as an institutional support structure but as an artistic practice in its own right, a site of research and sustained inquiry.
The artwork is led by Ann Marie Peña, with support from Shonibare, Belinda Holden, chief executive of the Yinka Shonibare Foundation, and Moni Aisida, executive director of G.A.S. Foundation. Project management is handled by Samantha Russell. Architectural installation design is by MOE+ Art Architecture (Papa Omotayo and Oyinade Adegbite), film production by Filmwrights (Randall Wright) and Julie Buckland, and sound design by Sound Disposition (Roland Heap and Simon Haupt) alongside Funmilola Ogushina.
The project draws on the work of contributors including Alberta Whittle, Portia Zvavahera, Raqs Media Collective, Tobi Onabolu, Umar Rashid, and a host of others. Funding comes from The Osahon Okunbo Foundation, Olufemi A. Akinsanya, Triangle Network and a number of individual patrons.
G.A.S. operates across two Nigerian sites, a creative space in Lagos and a sustainable farm with an artist studio in Ikise, Ogun State, and has supported more than 100 residents from over 20 countries since becoming operational. Its programme spans contemporary art, ecology, architecture and alternative models of education and institution-building.
Established in 1895, La Biennale di Venezia is among the world’s most prominent cultural institutions. Its international art exhibition takes place every two years across the Arsenale and Giardini della Biennale venues in Venice.
