The G.A.S. Foundation, in partnership with the Yinka Shonibare Foundation, has named Shatha Afify and Dr. Tinashe Mushakavanhu as the 2025 recipients of the G.A.S. Fellowship Award. The annual program grants two fully funded six-week residencies at G.A.S. Lagos, supporting mid-career professionals in Africa across visual arts and curatorial practice.

A distinguished panel of industry experts reviewed over 130 applications from 18 African countries to select this year’s fellows. The selection committee featured G.A.S. Executive Director Moni Aisida, independent curator Dr. Jareh Das, Y.S.F. Trustee Doug Fishbone, Deutsche Bank Curator of International Art Mary Findlay, Y.S.F. Advisor Bob and Roberta Smith, and G.A.S. Trustee Ugoma Ebilah.

Shatha Afify: Visual Arts Fellow Shatha Afify, an interdisciplinary artist from Egypt, has been awarded the Visual Arts Fellowship. Her work fuses sound, performance, and multimedia to examine themes of conflict, loss, and social resistance. During her residency, she aims to expand her engagement with the African art scene while leading a workshop as part of the Ìmòra Arts Intensive. Her session will focus on challenges within the art market and the role of interdisciplinary approaches in contemporary practice.

Dr. Tinashe Mushakavanhu: Curatorial Fellow Zimbabwean curator and writer Dr. Tinashe Mushakavanhu has been named the Curatorial Fellow. His practice intersects literature, archival research, and exhibition-making, with an emphasis on African cultural histories and experimental narratives. At G.A.S. Lagos, he will develop a site-specific exhibition integrating text, image, and sound to engage audiences with African literary traditions, furthering his research into how archives shape public memory and identity.

Beyond the two fellowship recipients, the foundation acknowledged several shortlisted candidates for their strong proposals. Among the notable visual artists were Ange-Frédéric Koffi, Gouled Abdishakour Ahmed, Sel Kofiga, Wallen Mapondera, and Wambui Kamiru Collymoe. The curatorial shortlist featured Abbey IT-A, Nkhensani Mkhari, and Renee Mboya.

Supported by Deutsche Bank, the G.A.S. Fellowship continues to foster artistic and curatorial excellence, providing a platform for mid-career practitioners to explore new ideas and contribute to Lagos’s dynamic cultural landscape.