Villa Swagatam, inaugurated in March 2023 by the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, intends to provide a platform for cultural exchanges between French and Indian artists, designers and writers. In line with eminent figures such as the painter S.H. Raza, Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore, screenwriter and author Jean-Claude Carrière, and theatre director Ariane Mnouchkine, Villa Swagatam – a network of local partners across the two countries – aims to strengthen the dialogue between France and India in the fields of literature, performing arts, and arts & craft. Throughout this first year, the residencies are happening exclusively in India, in 16 different locations which have in common, an expertise on Indian art forms (embroidery, puppetry, dance, illustrated books, etc.) as well as an ability to interact with local key players.
After a few months of residency in India while they were spread all across the country, seven artists and authors who had been selected to take part in the first edition of Villa Swagatam, came to Delhi to attend a special gathering weekend, organised by the French Institute in India.
From the 8th to the 10th of December 2023, Elsa Mroziewicz (multimedia artist), Clément Xavier (comic book writer), Pauline Lavogez (performer), Martha-Maria Le Bars (plastician), Yassine Balbzioui (plastician), Victoire De Brantes (designer) and Stephanie Janaina (dancer and choreographer) were introduced to Delhi’s cultural scene and key players. The residents visited the Lodhi Art District, a unique urban regeneration project curated by the St+Art India Foundation, as well as landmark contemporary art institutions such as the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Khoj Studios, and the National Crafts Museum, along with cultural venues such as the Piano Man Jazz Club.
They attended several events, including the contemporary dance show PIXEL by Käfig Company, which was touring in India among the network of Alliances Françaises. This weekend was also the occasion for the residents to meet with cultural professionals such as the designer Gunjan Gupta, as well as the Ambassador of France to India, H.E Thierry Mathou.
Image: Clément Xavier, author-in-residence at Alice Boner Institute, giving a talk at the Shillong Literary Festival.
Image: Victoire de Brantes, artist-in-residence at Vastrakala, ongoing research process for modular embroidery.
During this weekend, the residents had the opportunity to meet for the first time, exchange, and confront their residency experience with each other. As part of the Villa Swagatam programme, they were immersed in various local ecosystems and introduced to very specific aspects of the Indian cultural landscape, from which they drew inspiration to nurture their creative process. As an example, the young multidisciplinary designer Victoire de Brantes explored the traditional embroidery techniques in Chennai by working hand in hand with the craftsmen from Atelier Vastrakala (Maison Lesage), in order to create a unique series of objects and ornaments. In a similar dynamic, the comic book writer Clément Xavier imbedded himself in the environment of the Alice Boner Institute in Varanasi, where he was pursuing a comic project on the Ganges river, addressing both cultural and ecological issues.
The wide diversity and richness of this first series of residency experiences demonstrated the immense potential of such cross-cultural collaborations, in their ability to connect a territory and its cultural heritage with a community of international creators. As the Villa Swagatam programme is now looking at its second edition in the spring of 2024, which will extend to a network of residency partners in France willing to welcome Indian authors and artists, the French Institute in India intends to keep strengthening the links among this newly born community of Indo-French creators.