French Institute in India announces 35 Villa Swagatam laureates

The French Institute in India has selected 35 laureates for the fourth edition of the Villa Swagatam residency programme. Running from August 2026 to August 2027, the initiative promotes cultural exchange through one- to three-month residencies across France and South Asia.

Hyderabad: The French Institute in India has announced the selection of 35 laureates for the fourth edition of its flagship residency programme, Villa Swagatam, which will unfold from August 2026 to August 2027.

Bringing together artists, designers, authors, graphic novelists, translators and researchers from France and South Asia, the programme fosters cross-cultural dialogue and creative collaboration through immersive residencies of one to three months across a network of 30 residency partners in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and France.

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Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India, said: “Villa Swagatam has become a remarkable laboratory for Indo-French cultural cooperation and innovation.”

The open call for the fourth edition of Villa Swagatam, inviting candidates from France and India, received 540 individual applications. A striking observation from this year’s open call has been the remarkable interest shown by the Indian diaspora in Villa Swagatam.

The Villa Swagatam network consists of 30 residences across France and South Asia:

Residencies in South Asia:

● Alice Boner Institute (Varanasi) – Olivier Liron, author

● Alice Boner Institute (Varanasi) – Marina Chiche, author and musician

● Eklavya Foundation (Bhopal) – Cheyenne Olivier, illustrator

● Sangam House (Bengaluru) – Paul Greveillac, author

● Lakmahal Library (Colombo) – Frank Smith, poet

● VAST (Thimphu & Punakha) – Pierre Dawance, graphic novelist

● Itinerant Residency (India) – Atiq Rahimi, author

● Red House (New Delhi) – Sarah Maeght, author and playwright

● Cosmos Foundation (Dhaka) – Saena Delacroix, calligrapher

● Hampi Art Labs (Hampi) – Kelly Eng and Marie Piplard (Studio EngPiplard), designers

● Jaipur Rugs (Jaipur) – Colombine Jubert & Laëtitia Rouget (Pangea), artists and designers

● Kalhath Institute (Lucknow) – Martin Schepkens & Manuel Leromain, artist and designer

● Nila House (Jaipur) – Erika Povilonyté, artist

● Public Arts Trust of India (Jodhpur) – Jérémy Demester, artist

● Vastrakala (Chennai) – Naomi Lulendo, artist

● StoneX Global (Kishangarh) – Sophia Taillet, artist and designer

● StoneX Global (Kishangarh) – Vincent Voillat, artist

Residencies in France:

● La Maison de la Poésie de Nantes (Nantes) – Jonaki Ray, poet

● Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l’image (Angoulême) – Mia Jose, graphic novelist

● Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l’image (Angoulême) – Charbak Dipta, graphic novelist

● La Maison Julien Gracq (Saint-Florent-le-Vieil) – Khalid Jawed, author

● La Marelle (Marseille) – Vidyun Sabhaney, graphic novelist

● Villa Gillet × Lyon BD (Lyon) – Debangshu Moulik, graphic novelist

● Chalet Mauriac × Villa Valmont (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) – Vasumathi Badrinathan, translator

● Institut d’études avancées de Nantes (Nantes) – Aastha Chauhan, artist, educator and curator

● LERKA × Banyan – Centre de l’art contemporain (La Réunion) – Shubhangi Swarup, author

● Centre National de la Danse (Pantin) – Aishwarya Raut, contemporary dancer and choreographer

● La Napoule Art Foundation (Mandelieu-la-Napoule) – Kirti Virmani, artist

● Art Scribes Award × Prameya Art Foundation (Mandelieu-la-Napoule) – to be confirmed soon

● Manufactures Nationales (Paris & Sèvres) – Kaanchi Chopra, artist

● Fondation Thalie (Arles) – Gargi Chandola, artist

● macLYON (Lyon) – Ayantika Sajwal, artist