House E x Zami Collective:
The Artist Rest Residency
An annual East African artist retreat and residency blending
creation, community, and cultural exchange.
9th - 23rd November 2026
House E and Zami Collective present a two-week artist rest residency at House E, Lamu Island, Kenya for emerging and established African visual artists. Create, experiment, collaborate, and engage with local communities while reflecting on place, culture, and identity. Join us from Monday 9th November to Monday 23rd November 2026 for the inaugural edition.
This is a not-for-profit residency with funded support for visual artists of African nationality, heritage and part of the African Diaspora, to attend the full two week program. Accommodation and return economy air fare will be covered, along with a modest provision of art supplies to be used during the artists stay.
Beyond the rest residency, this is a platform for exchange, documentation, and lasting cultural impact.
Our Approach
Duration: 2 weeks
Open to: artists from the African continent (nationality or heritage)
Location: House E, Lamu Island, Kenya
Artist-led regenerative community workshops
Swahili cultural experiences
Final celebration and showcase
Participation in future public art day at the Lamu souk
Connect with buyers and future sales opportunities
Our Vision
Support contemporary African artists to:
Promote meaningful cultural exchange
Create space for the artist process
Enhance visibility of African art
Engage the local community of Lamu through public activations
Co-create community workshops as part of the exchange
Produce high-quality documentation (film, photography, essays)
Call to Artists: Why Join Us?
The rest residency is open to emerging and established artists working in contemporary practices. Artists are selected based on quality and openness to exchange with the local community. We welcome those that engage with place, material, culture, and storytelling, and who are interested in developing their practice during their stay.
Opportunity to develop meaningful work in a unique environment
A slow creative residency prioritising research and artistic development
Direct engagement with local and international audiences
Build relationships with potential collectors, curators, and fellow artists
Selected artists will spend time at House E in Lamu, where they will have the opportunity to develop a project, exchange ideas with fellow residents, rest and experience the unique rhythms of island life.
‘Drift Off’ (2024) Copyright © Emma Prempeh 2024.
“Resting is such an important part of creating. Slowing down, having time to process and be intentional about moving forward. This only happens when your nervous system can relax. There have been many stressful periods of time pursuing my career as a painter and this is also the reality for so many aspiring, emerging and established artists. Rest is deserved and should be an integral part of our routine. My time in Lamu with Zami Collective gave me the opportunity to rework how I think about rest. I slowed down, made memories for a lifetime and most importantly I was able to dream. I'm honoured to be part of Zami Collective and House E 's journey giving artists the time and space to rest, reflect and if your body allows, create.”— Emma Prempeh, Island Memories The House
FAQs
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Visual artists of African nationalities or heritage and part of the African Diaspora. All genders, aged 18 and above are welcome to apply.
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Painter
Sculpture
Architecture
Film
Photography
Textiles
Tapestry
Weaving
Ceramics
Printmaking
Drawing
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The residency lasts for two weeks. Participants arrive monday 9th November and depart monday 23rd November 2026.
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This is a not-for-profit residency with funded support for African nationals or artists of African heritage. Accommodation, some meals and return economy air fare will be covered, along with a modest provision of art supplies to be used during the artists stay. Personal expenses, travel and health insurance, potential health requirements of the host country and daily upkeep are the responsibility of artists.
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Applications open 14th March and will close on the 12th April 11:59 PM British Summer Time BST. Selected applicants will be informed by the end of April 2026 by email. Once you confirm your place we will arrange an introductory call and request information for travel arrangements.
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The residency aims to bring visibility to the artist process, not only final artworks. Given the two-week duration of the programme, artists are not expected to finish several final pieces but are welcome to take time and space to nurture their creative process. Should an artist wish to create any final pieces, this is welcomed and we will plan to showcase these on the final weekend. As part of the residency artists are expected to engage with the local Lamu community and are encouraged to design a collaborative arts workshop with local residents. You will have the chance to share potential ideas during the application.
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Our intention is for artists to attend this residency without the pressure to exchange works in lieu of their stay. However, should an artist wish to donate a piece of work to the organisers or a proportion of sales from a piece of work, to the support the future of the residency and local community engagements, they are most welcome.
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There will be a final celebration and showcase at House E to close the residency. While there is no fixed exhibition planned due to the short timeline of the programme, our aim is to support House E x Zami Collective alumni to participate in a future public art exhibition at the Lamu souk.
What’s Included
Private room and adjacent studio space (patio or balcony)
Meals: communal breakfast and dinner served daily at House E
Return economy airfare for domestic and international flights, some art supplies and resources (we encourage you to bring preferred specific materials)
Creative artist-led workshops with the local community
Airport dhow taxi transfers from Manda airport to House E
WIFI in villa
Not Included
Travel/health insurance (mandatory), health requirements of the host country (Kenya) such as vaccines, and daily upkeep or personal spending
How to apply
So, you are a visual artist looking to join us in Lamu! Please register your interest through the application portal below by 12th April 2026 11.59pm British Summer Time BST. Once your application has been reviewed we will be in touch if you have been selected for this year’s cohort.
About Zami Collective
A Creative Collective Based
in East Africa
Zami Collective host regenerative retreats and rest residencies in Kenya and Ethiopia. Since 2023 we’ve curated experiences for international cohorts of painters, photographers, filmmakers, DJ’s and sound practitioners, among other creatives.
Our mission: to integrate a tapestry of African artists, photographers wellness, food, farming, and cultural practitioners across the value chain, while cultivating beautiful communal rest experiences for emerging and established creatives in East African destinations.
Our vision: spotlight the creatives we host and meet along our encounters. See Emma Prempeh’s from the 2023 and 2025 cohort, ‘Where Dreams are Born and Peace Restored’ 2024 Art Collection inspired by her stay in Lamu.
About House E
Copyright © Brian Siambi 2025. All rights reserved.
A warm living space, shaped by island life, generosity and presence.
House E was originally built as a private holiday home on the Swahili coast of Lamu. A place created for family, friends, long days, shared meals, and time spent together. Over the years, it became clear that the house held more than comfort. Its light, openness, and rhythm began to invite conversations, ideas, and creative moments. What started as a home gradually revealed its full potential — as a place where people gather, exchange, and create.
Today, House E remains a home at heart, while opening its doors to artistic and cultural use. It is a lived space, shaped by everyday life, generosity, and presence. Artists are invited to work within a lived environment, where art and everyday life exist side by side.
The Community
Make a Donation.
HOUSE E × ZAMI COLLECTIVE is made possible through the support of a small circle of private supporters, partners, and friends of the arts. The residency is sustained through philanthropic generosity, dialogue, and long-term commitment from funding partners, ensuring the residency can grow organically and return each year.
Want to be a part of this vision?
Support Our Vision
Want to support us to continue to build a sustainable, annual rest residency program for African artists on Lamu Island?
HOUSE E × ZAMI COLLECTIVE is made possible through the support of a small circle of private supporters, partners, and friends of the Arts.
The residency is rooted in personal relationships, shared values, and a belief in process-based artistic practice. Support is offered with care and trust, allowing artists the freedom to experiment, collaborate, and engage with the local community.
We are sustained through philanthropic generosity, dialogue, and long-term commitment from funding partners, ensuring the program can grow organically and return each year.
To learn more about how you can support us please arrange a call with us below or donate directly today.
(left)' ‘From Sunset to Sunrise’ Copyright © Emma Prempeh 2024. All rights reserved.
Meet the Team
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Eliane Eder
Creative Lead, House E
Design, vision, and program direction.
Eliane Eder is a creator and entrepreneur whose life and work have taken her across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Lamu has been part of her life since childhood. After many years away, she returned and immediately felt the connection again. She built House E as both a home and a place that welcomes artists and creative minds. Through the Rest Residency, she brings together her passion for culture, exchange, and thoughtful hospitality. -
Kulani McCartan-Demie
Creative Lead, Zami Collective
Design, vision, and program direction.
Kulani has lived and worked across the African Continent in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa over the last decade. She landed on Lamu Island on the autumn of 2021 and has returned every year since. Kulani founded Zami Collective to bring women from different corners of the world together to explore creative community in East African destinations. Since then, she’s curated retreats for international cohorts of painters, photographers, filmmakers and DJ’s.
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Emma Prempeh
Artist Liaison
Founding artist in residence and supporter
Emma is a British artist with Ghanaian and Vincentian heritage exploring memory, intimacy, and ancestral time through atmospheric, large‑scale paintings. Her works are rooted in a personal cosmology, her practice draws from metaphysical inquiry to invoke and project memories of events, people, and places. She has been visiting Lamu since 2023, to rest and find a sense of stillness as part of her art practice.