A new residency at Africell’s Luanda headquarters gives Angolan visual artists a studio, mentorship and a public exhibition. The first resident artist is Sarhai da Costa.
The Africell Impact Foundation and KinoYetu have officially launched Estação Experimental (“Experimental Station”), a residency programme for Angolan visual artists.
The residency is based at Africell’s headquarters in Luanda, with a dedicated studio adjoining Galeria 10A, Africell’s in-house gallery. Each cycle runs for three months, with two cycles a year. Resident artists get their own workspace, regular mentorship and artistic guidance from iconic local art collective KinoYetu, which manages the programme day to day.
The programme also reaches beyond the studio. Residents work with external mentors and run activities with students from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Luanda. They also take part in Satélite 75, the residency’s outreach programme, which brings their practice to a wider audience.
The first resident: Sarhai da Costa
The first edition features Angolan artist Sarhai da Costa, who moved into the studio in August. She will remain in residence until 3 November. Her work from the residency will be displayed at Galeria 10A in an exhibition running through November and December.
Following the initial call for applicantions in June 2026, the programme was formally presented on 8 October in Galeria 10A. Guests included the Africell team, Sarhai da Costa and KinoYetu co-founders Kiluanji Kia Henda and Orlando Sérgio. Sued Oliveira, Creative Team Leader at Africell Angola, moderated the event. Guests toured the residency studio and the gallery that will host the first exhibition.
Building on five years of support for Angolan culture
The Africell Impact Foundation has supported arts and culture in Angola since 2021. Estação Experimental is its first permanent, recurring structure for artistic production: a place where Angolan artists can experiment, develop new work and show it to the public.
Speaking at the launch, Africell’s Sued Oliveira described the residency as part of the company’s cultural strategy and social responsibility commitment in Angola.
The second cycle of Estação Experimental is expected to begin in early 2027.
Click to follow the residency on Instagram: @estacaoexperimental, @africellimpactfoundation and @kinoyetu.
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