Villa Swagatam - Indo-French cultural residency program

Residency brief

The Kalhath Institute, established in 2016, is the brainchild of co-founders - Maximiliano Modesti and Mohammed Amine Dadda. Kalhath is a training centre for the artisans of Lucknow and its surrounding areas and offers a ‘Residency Programme’ that is one-of-a-kind, in that it facilitates the seamless blending of the world of art and craft, through a collaborative exercise between the artist and the artisan with the use of a plethora of material, ranging from silk and cotton thread to natural materials like jute and the like, while retaining the distinctive characteristics of both.

The craftsmen on the Kalhath team are specialists in hand embroidery; their craft covers the techniques of Zardosi, Ari and a host of others, passed down through generations of craftsmen. The resident is encouraged to utilize the artisanal resources at Kalhath for the duration of their residency in an environment that is symbiotic in nature. In the recent past, Kalhath has had artists such as T. Venkanna and Pauline Guerrier - in collaboration with the French Institute in India - create artworks with their artisans.

Our Space

Lucknow, the golden city of the east, has been celebrated for its magnificent historical heritage and handicraft works. Regarded as one of the multicultural cities of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow has always been a fervent promoter of art and craft, be it Chikankari, Zardozi or Zarbuland. Today, Lucknow is home to skilled artisans who create some of the finest handicrafts which are famous across the world. Kalhath is strategically located in a heritage bungalow in the Char Bagh area of Lucknow in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

Dalila Dalléas Bouzar

Visual Artist

During my residency at Kalhath Institute, I would like to create an embroidered burnous. The burnous is a sleeveless coat with a pointed hood worn by men in the Maghreb. It's a traditional garment, and an emblematic symbol in Algeria. It stands for dignity, social status and nobility. The bournous will be shown at a group exhibition titled OVERTIME (Prolongation) at the Institut des Cultures d'Islam in March 2026. The Exhibition uses soccer as a means of exploring the role of young men from immigrant families in French society. While collaborating with the embroiderers, I would love for their creativity and knowledge of embroidery to enhance the project.

Dalila Dalléas Bouzar was born in 1974 in Algeria and she lives and works in Bordeaux, France trained in biology before discovering painting and perfecting her skills at the Beaux-Arts in Paris. In her work, she addresses individual and collective memory, particularly in relation to Algerian history. Starting with drawing and painting, her practice has expanded to include textile art and performance, in which she deconstructs the clichés of Arab women’s representation while questioning the role of the artist in these representations. By painting invisibilized identities, she seeks to highlight the power issues of Western representations in art history.

Deborah di Fiore

Visual artist and illustrator

Villa Swagatam residency feels like the ideal place to explore, experiment with materials and techniques, and to shape a new artistic language in dialogue with artisans. The project values slowness, transmission, and traditional craft as an evolving artistic practice. It is truly a four-hands process where artisans and I learn from each other, and traditional, skilful techniques are at the heart of creating a collection of unique, contemporary pieces.

Deborah Di Fiore is a multidisciplinary visual artist and art director based in Paris. After studying visual communication at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs of Paris, Deborah moved to India in 2005, drawn to its rich artisanal heritage. Enriched by travel and local crafts, her design philosophy has led to collaborations across fashion, lifestyle, homeware, and entertainment. Spatial and cultural immersion also inform Deborah’s visual art practice: sharp observation gives way to fluid abstraction, capturing nebulous memories of place and time through landscapes, portraiture, architecture, and the natural world. She continues to collaborate with brands in India, while expanding her design and art practice.

Kalhath Institute

Production residency

Residency brief

Our Space

Dalila Dalléas Bouzar

Deborah di Fiore

Past Laureates