MAD Salon+Lab

Exploratory Residency

Residency brief

The Mumbai Architecture & Design (MAD) Salon + Lab was conceived in 2010 as a place to bring together experts and enthusiasts to debate contemporary issues in nation-building through the lens of architecture and design. It operates as a Salon and a Lab to foster exploratory projects at the intersection of the arts, sciences, and humanities. It is the brainchild of spaceship designer Susmita Mohanty and her partner Siddharth Das. They share a passion for graphic novels as a storytelling medium and art form. Susmita was introduced to the French bande dessinée scene while studying in Strasbourg in 1996, so they chose to collaborate with Institut Français en Inde to realize their dream of hosting a MAD Graphic Novel Residency.

The residency is aimed at graphic novelists and comics artists who wish to engage with the city of Bangalore in particular and India at large, to develop a new body of work. The MAD co-founders Susmita and Siddharth will facilitate the residency candidate’s interactions with the social, cultural and intellectual milieu of the city and help them develop their project further through their networks.

  • Thematic focus Literature (Graphic novels / Comic books)
  • LocationBangalore (Karnataka)
  • Dates August 2026
  • Length of stay 4 weeks

Our Space

The residency is located in Bangalore, the capital of the Karnataka state, in south India. Widely known as the Silicon Valley of India, Bangalore is home to scientists, innovators, entrepreneurs, artists, writers and thinkers from all over the country. It has a vibrant cultural, social and intellectual life.

The residency is located in the leafy neighbourhood of Cox Town, created during British colonial times. It is home to colourful markets, old and new buildings, schools, temples and churches. The quiet and tree-lined streets are pleasantly walkable on foot, while the rest of the city is easily accessible by various modes of public transport - taxi, autorickshaw, metro and buses.

Residency conditions

  • The resident will be given accommodation in a two-bedroom apartment with a balcony that overlooks trees. One of the bedrooms is used as a study. There is also a living room and a fully equipped kitchen.
  • The residents’ travel costs to and from his/her home address will be covered by the French Institute in India.
  • The resident will receive a fixed stipend of INR. 60,000 per month to cover his/her food and living expenses.
  • The resident will receive a fixed residency grant of INR. 50,000 per month.
  • The resident should be willing to give up to 20% of his/her residency time to participate in lectures, workshops, and conferences in local schools organized by the MAD founders, the Alliance Française Bangalore or the French Institute in India.
  • The MAD residency will culminate in a MAD Salon where the candidate agrees to give a talk to an invited audience along with a presentation of a body of drawings/photographs/stories from their Bangalore residency.
  • The MAD founders also request the residents to offer one original artwork created during the residency to enrich the art collection of the MAD Salon+Lab.
  • The MAD founders request the resident to share a zine (4 to 6 pages) comprising text, drawings, and photos that capture the residency explorations and experiences, by the 15th of March, of the following year.
  • The French Institute in India expects the selected resident to send them a short text (1000 - 2000 words) or strip testifying of their experience within 3 months of completion of the residency.
  • This is an exploratory residence, which means that there is no other obligation of results at the end of the residency. However, the residency program needs to be acknowledged in any artistic production resulting from the residency.
  • As the residency is unable to accommodate partners, friends or family members, the resident is expected to undertake the residency unaccompanied.

Eligibility criteria

  • Proficiency in English is required for the applicant.
  • The resident must have at least one book (minimum) published by a French publishing house.

Past Laureates

Second Edition (2024 - 2025)
Fabien Toulmé Graphic Novelist
First Edition (2023 - 2024)
Elsa Mroziewicz