G.A.S. at Venice Biennale

Guest Artists Space Foundation, the Lagos-based arts and residency organization known as G.A.S. Foundation, will take part in the main exhibition of the 2026 Venice Biennale. (guestartistsspace.com) The foundation said on February 25 that it had been invited into the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, which opens to the public on May 9, 2026 and runs through November 22 after preview days on May 6, 7 and 8. (guestartistsspace.com) (labiennale.org) Its project is described by the foundation as a collaborative presentation rooted in its residency model, with artist and curator details to be announced later. The venue listed by the foundation is the Arsenale, one of the Biennale’s two main exhibition sites. (guestartistsspace.com) The Biennale’s main exhibition is titled *In Minor Keys*, the exhibition Koyo Kouoh developed before her death in May 2025. La Biennale di Venezia said it is carrying out the 2026 edition with the support of Kouoh’s family and her curatorial team. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2) That places the G.A.S. Foundation project inside one of the largest recurring exhibitions in contemporary art, where the main show sits alongside national pavilions and collateral events across Venice. The 2026 edition will span the Giardini, the Arsenale and other sites in the city. (labiennale.org) La Biennale said the main exhibition includes 111 invited participants, counting individual artists, duos, collectives and artist-led organizations. G.A.S. Foundation’s inclusion means an institution, not only a single artist, is being treated as part of the exhibition’s author list. (labiennale.org) (guestartistsspace.com) Guest Artists Space was founded by artist Yinka Shonibare and has built its program around residencies, research and public programming in Lagos and Ijebu. In its Biennale announcement, the foundation said the invitation recognizes the residency itself “as a practice in its own right,” rather than only as support infrastructure for artists. (guestartistsspace.com) (yinkashonibarefoundation.com) Kouoh’s exhibition has also been framed around artists and organizations from a wide range of geographies, with reporting from the February briefing noting a strong presence from the Global South. That context helps explain why a Lagos-based foundation built around long-term exchange fits the shape of the 2026 show. (theartnewspaper.com) (labiennale.org) For now, the clearest next date is May 9, when *In Minor Keys* opens in Venice and the G.A.S. Foundation project moves from announcement to public view. (labiennale.org)