Last Call for Applications: 4th Edition of Villa Swagatam Across South Asia And France

The new call is open to French and Indian applicants who wish to join one of the network’s residencies in 2026–2027. Applications are open until Monday, 31 May 2026, at midnight (CEST).

Since its launch in 2023, Villa Swagatam has established itself as a dynamic platform for creative exchange, bringing together a growing network of residencies across France and South Asia. Through immersive residencies ranging from one to three months, the programme supports artists, translators, writers, designers and researchers seeking to engage deeply with new cultural environments and develop collaborative projects. At the heart of Villa Swagatam lies a dual thematic focus that shapes both its identity and its impact: literature and arts and crafts.

Villa Swagatam distinguishes itself through its collaborative structure and strong anchoring in local ecosystems. The programme is built on a principle of reciprocity: since 2024, Indian laureates are hosted in France under the same framework, ensuring a truly bilateral dynamic of exchange rather than a one-way circulation of artists. This principle is now fully embodied in the current edition, which achieves a near parity between flows of residents in both directions. It operates through a dense network of around thirty residency partners, each actively involved in the selection and accompaniment of residents.

At the heart of Villa Swagatam lies a simple conviction: that creative encounters are among the most powerful ways to build lasting relationships between societies. H.E. Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France in India emphasises : “The creators who join the Villa Swagatam family are true passeurs: they build bridges between places, practices, and perspectives, whether encountering the ecosystem for the first time or returning to it with a fresh vision. Each edition brings an extraordinary range of projects, which are shaped by these encounters. We are delighted to welcome a new cohort and eager to see the dialogues and forms that will emerge during the India-France Year of Innovation 2026.”

Over the first three editions, Villa Swagatam has supported almost 100 residents, generating a dense web of collaborations across literature, visual arts, craft traditions, design, and translation. This dynamic was notably presented to the President of the French Republic, H.E. Emmanuel Macron, during his official visit to India, as part of a cultural sequence co-organised with the Serendipity Arts Foundation.

Beyond the residency itself, these experiences often open doors to some of the most significant cultural platforms across the world, ranging from the India Art Fair, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, 1-54 Marrakech to the Kerala Literature Festival and Littérature Live in Lyon. Residents are not only immersed in local contexts; they are propelled into vibrant professional circuits where their work gains visibility, dialogue, and new trajectories.

This aspect is central to the programme’s philosophy: Villa Swagatam is not conceived as a one-time mobility opportunity, but as a catalyst for sustained exchange. Many residents return, collaborate again, translate, publish, exhibit, or co-create with the partners they encountered during their stay, building enduring relationships with artisans, craftspeople, authors, curators, and publishers across regions. These long-term connections form the backbone of a growing Indo-French cultural ecosystem, rooted in trust, reciprocity, and shared creation.

The fourth edition of Villa Swagatam unfolds in the context of the India France Year of Innovation 2026, a moment that the programme embraces not as a theme, but as a method. Expanding its network and deepening its scope, Villa Swagatam enters new territories, forging partnerships that reflect the most forward-looking intersections of creation, research, and material practice.

In France :

● Villa Swagatam strengthens its engagement with contemporary artistic experimentation through new collaborations with the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon (macLYON), which will host a residency centred on ceramics at the crossroads of art and technique, and the Fondation Thalie in Arles, internationally recognised for its pioneering work in biodesign and sustainable creative practices.

● This edition also marks the launch of its first literary residency on the island of La Réunion, a French overseas territory in the Indian Ocean with deep historical and cultural connections with India. The residency is hosted by Banyan – Centre d’art contemporain de la Cité des Arts de La Réunion and Lerka (an experimental space for contemporary artistic research and creation), and will host an Indian author whose project explores and reactivates these enduring ties.

● For this edition, Villa Swagatam is also introducing its first research residency in collaboration with the Institut d’études avancées de Nantes, inviting Indian scholars, thinkers and researchers to propose a project at the intersection of the humanities, new imagineries, and contemporary global challenges.

In South Asia :

● Villa Swagatam continues to explore the dialogue between tradition and innovation through a new partnership with StoneX Global, offering a residency anchored in stone and marble, materials that carry both architectural memory and contemporary sculptural potential.

● A new literary residency is also being launched in New Delhi with Red House, a family-run cultural centre housed in a repurposed industrial site, emblematic of the capital’s evolving creative scene.

● Continuing its spirit of expansion to residencies in South Asia, for the first time, Villa Swagatam extends its network to Bhutan. VAST Bhutan will welcome a graphic novelist invited to engage with the country’s social, cultural, and ecological landscapes.

● Further, in Bangladesh, the programme welcomes the Cosmos Foundation, opening access to a rich and dynamic ecosystem of crafts, where artisanal knowledge and contemporary creation intersect.

Finally, this edition introduces an ambitious new format: the Itinerant literary residency. Conceived as a curated, multi-sited journey, it will offer one resident the opportunity to develop a project across four to six cities in India, engaging with a range of contexts, collaborators, and publics. This experimental format reflects Villa Swagatam’s commitment to rethinking residency models, privileging movement, immersion, and the multiplicity of perspectives over a single fixed location.

With these new directions, Villa Swagatam reaffirms its role as a laboratory for contemporary creation, one that not only accompanies artistic and literary practices, but actively reshapes the geographies and modalities of cultural exchange.

This announcement marks Villa Swagatam’s flagship annual call for applications, but the programme will keep on including other curated collaborations and initiatives across the year, reflecting the dynamic of the India-France Year of Innovation and opening up other original opportunities for creators across the two regions.

In South Asia, the focus is on the following sectors:

Literature:

● Alice Boner Institute (Varanasi) – literature

● Eklavya Foundation (Bhopal) – children’s literature

● Sangam House (Bangalore) – literature

● Red House (New Delhi) – literature

● Lakmahal Library (Colombo) – literature

● VAST Bhutan (Thimphu and Punakha) – graphic novels

● Itinerant Residency (multiple cities) – literature

Arts and Crafts:

● Cosmos Foundation (Dhaka) – arts and crafts

● Hampi Art Labs (Hampi) – arts and crafts

● Jaipur Rugs (Jaipur) – hand-weaving

● Kalhath Institute (Lucknow) – embroidery

● Nila House (Jaipur) – textile and indigo

● Public Arts Trust of India (Jodhpur) – arts and crafts

● Vastrakala (Chennai) – embroidery

● StoneX Global (Kishangarh) – arts and crafts (stone and marble)

In France, there are fifteen partner residencies open to all types of artistic and literary profiles:

● Maison de la Poésie de Nantes (Nantes) – poetry

● Maison des auteurs – Cité Internationale de la Bande Dessinée et de l’Image (Angoulême) – graphic novels and comics

● Maison Julien Gracq (Saint-Florent-Le-Vieil) – literature

● Villa Gilletx Lyon BD (Lyon) – graphic novels

● Chalet Mauriacet La Villa Valmont (Saint-Symphorien and Bordeaux) – translation

● Lerka x Cité des Arts Réunion (Saint Denis, La Réunion) – literature

● Marelle (Marseille) – literature & hybrid writing practices

● Institut d’études avancées de Nantes (Nantes) – critical thinking

● Centre National de la Danse (Pantin) – contemporary dance

● La Napoule Art Foundation (Mandelieu La Napoule) – literature, visual arts, performing arts

● Art Scribes Award x Prameya Art Foundation (Mandelieu La Napoule) – critical writing and curatorial practice

● Manufactures Nationales (Paris et Sèvres) – arts and crafts

● La Fondation Thalie (Arles) – arts and crafts

● Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon – macLyon (Lyon) – arts and crafts (ceramics)

● Centre international de recherche sur le verre et les arts plastiques (Marseilles) – arts and crafts (glass)

The programme is supported by the Institut français.