Khoj International Residency

Exploratory Residency, and Group Residency for Indian and international artists

Residency brief

Khoj is an autonomous not-for-profit contemporary arts organization created in 1997. Through international, on-site, off-site and often hyper-local programmes and residencies, Khoj supports and incubates experimental and transdisciplinary creative practices that look at art and its various intersections with other disciplines such as gender, urbanisms, ecology, and technology. The residency at Khoj provides time and space for the artists to engage, respond and present their work in a historical socio-economic context, allowing for inclusivity, participation, and artistic interventions, in small but palpable ways. The residency acts as a platform for dialogue, supporting the development of personal artistic practices while building a network of interdisciplinary artists.

The Khoj International Residency will host an emerging to mid-career artist, who will join a cohort of other international and Indian artists, for 6 weeks responding to the particular theme of the residency and with a preferred interest in community-responsive modalities.

Khoj seeks an artist whose practice engages with public health in urban settings to critically examine how pain–physical, psychological, or historical–shapes the self and broader societal structures. How does the tension between urban systems and natural environments impact our bodies? How are the growing anxieties of everyday life linked to failing public health systems and is it possible to resist and reclaim agency amidst a collective chaos? Working in any medium, the artist is encouraged to expand the discourse on public health, connecting personal and collective experiences.

  • Thematic focus Arts & Crafts (design, technology, curatorial research), Visual Arts, Community-based work
  • Location Khirkee Extension, New Delhi (Delhi)
  • Dates August - September 2026
  • Length of stay 6 weeks

Our Space

The Khirkee Extension neighbourhood, a dense urban village settlement in the heart of the city was an erstwhile agricultural farmland with its history dating back to the 13th century. Today, Khirkee is a melting pot of cultures where a transient and diverse population has shaped the neighborhood’s character. From small-time entrepreneurs, labour-based workers, sweatshop workers, artists, to migrants and refugees from Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia and the Ivory Coast find home in this area. Khrikee stands out as an unconventional part of Delhi; being here can feel like living on the edge. Artists who are residents at Khoj Studios inevitably begin to respond to this immediate geopolitical context of the Khoj neighbourhood.

The Khoj Studios includes exhibition spaces, artists’ studios, residents’ accommodation, a reference library, a media lab, a public cafe, an open-air terrace and an additional multi-purpose space that can be used for film screenings and presentations.

Residency conditions

  • The resident should be willing to participate in the Open Studio Day organized by Khoj by showcasing his/her work-in-progress at the end of the 6-week collective programme. This doesn’t involve showing a finished production, the display is to be decided by the artist depending on the state of his/her research.
  • The resident should be willing to give up to 20% of his/her residency time to participate in various public engagement events such as talks, performances, workshops, etc. organized by Khoj or the French Institute in India.
  • The resident will be provided with studio facilities - which include both independent and collective spaces - as well as basic equipment (hammers, saws, cutters, drill machines, screwdrivers, etc.) to be shared with the other artists.
  • The resident will be provided with on-site accommodation, which includes a shared bedroom (air-conditioned) with an attached bathroom, as well as a common lounge, equipped kitchenette and courtyard. For a better understanding of the residency spaces, find the link to the 360 video tour: https://khojstudios.org/khoj-tour/
  • 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 residency grant of INR. 50,000 per month.
  • The resident’s travel costs to and from his/her home address will be covered by the French Institute in India.

Eligibility criteria

  • Proficiency in English is required for the applicant
  • The resident has to be comfortable working and living in the environment of Khoj and the popular neighbourhood of Khirki which requires a certain level of autonomy. A resident’s guide will be provided by IFI to help navigate the city on a daily basis.

Past Laureates

Second Edition (2024 - 2025)
Ada Artist