Residency brief

This cross-residency offers a duo of graphic novel or comic book authors the opportunity to explore the artistic scenes of India and France while working on a joint project. The selected duo will spend the first part of the residency in Angoulême where they will be able to discover the entire ecosystem of this city dedicated to images, in particular the resources of the Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l'image. The two authors will be hosted at the Maison des auteurs, the Cité's artists' residence, and will attend the prestigious Angoulême International Comics Festival during their residency. Likewise, they will spend the second part of the residency in Goa at the Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts. They will participate in the Goa Arts and Literature Festival, an opportunity offered by this cross-residency to be present at two major international comic book creation festivals in France and India.

About Maison des auteurs in Angoulême:

Dedicated to comics, the Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l'image (International City of Comics and Image) holds the largest heritage collection of comics in Europe and brings together the museum of comics, exhibition galleries, a heritage library, a specialized public library, a documentation center, an international residence for authors (the Maison des auteurs), a reference bookstore, and an art-house cinema. The Cité actively supports contemporary creation through the Maison des auteurs (The House of Authors). Since its opening in 2002, La Maison des Auteurs has welcomed around five hundred artists - emerging and established authors - from France, Europe, and other continents to develop projects there. In addition to the residency program, it offers numerous professional support services. Through its commitment, it now plays an unparalleled role in the French graphic creation landscape. During their stay, the two laureates will be able to discover all the resources of the Cité, meet many representatives of the artistic community of Angoulême (rich with more than 300 authors), and participate in the International Comics Festival.

About Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts in Goa:

Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts is a not-for-profit, process-based arts foundation founded by Dipti and Dattaraj V. Salgaocar. Since its inception in 2009, its vision has been to preserve Goa’s creative legacy, encourage cultural growth in India and promote a range of cultural activities across various media, geographies and time frames. With the patronage of Isheta Salgaocar, the Foundation has evolved into a bridge connecting Goa to India and the world, enabling the addressing of questions concerning our social and cultural environment, reflected across a large spectrum.

The Artist-In-Residence Lab (AIR-L) is an immersive residency programme, that offers an experiential opportunity of interdisciplinary research and exchange. It encourages projects that address new approaches related to our contemporary context and that can offer new understandings and perspectives of our society. The residency offered under the umbrella of Villa Swagatam is targeted at graphic novelists/comic artists.