A Fully Sponsored Artist Residency Across Bombay and Jaipur — FAACII Launches Its Inaugural Artist Residency, India 2026
A fully-sponsored five-week residency across Bombay and Jaipur. One international artist selected — now welcoming Indian artists to apply as a second artist in residence. Applications close Friday 24 July 2026.
We are delighted to announce the inaugural FAACII Artist Residency India 2026 — a fully sponsored programme placing two artists inside two of India's most creatively charged cities for five weeks of immersion, work creation, and cultural exchange.
The residency runs from 21 August to 27 September 2026, beginning with three weeks at Abode Bombay in Colaba, Mumbai (Weeks 1–3), followed by two weeks at Abode Jaipur inside the historic Walled City (Weeks 4–5). Every cost — flights, accommodation, travel between cities, art materials, a living stipend, and visa support — is covered in full.
"The only requirement is your practice and your curiosity."
— FAACII INC, Artist Residency India 2026About the Programme
FAACII INC — For Art and Culture in India Inc. — is a New York-based 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to advancing and preserving the artistic and cultural heritage of India. Our work builds bridges between Indian artistic traditions and contemporary global practice, and this residency is the most direct expression of that mission to date.
In partnership with Abode Boutique Hotels, whose properties in Bombay and Jaipur provide an extraordinary environment for creative work. Supported by a group of generous sponsors, the programme covers every cost for both selected artists — so they can focus entirely on their practice. This is not a residency that asks artists to teach, lecture, or produce work to a brief — it is unstructured time, in remarkable places, with every logistical and financial barrier removed.
Abode Boutique Hotels generously provides all accommodation for the residency — three weeks at Abode Bombay in historic Colaba, and two weeks at Abode Jaipur inside the Walled City — at no cost to FAACII or the selected artist. Their contribution makes this fully funded programme possible.
The Locations
Weeks 1–3 — Abode Bombay, Colaba
Colaba is Mumbai's historic cultural nerve centre — home to the city's oldest galleries, the Kala Ghoda arts district, the National Gallery of Modern Art, and a creative energy unlike anywhere else in India. Artists spend their time settling into the country, finding the city's rhythm, and beginning their practice in a heritage building that has witnessed over a century of Bombay's history.
Weeks 4–5 — Abode Jaipur, Kishanpole
Abode Jaipur, Kishanpole Bazaar, Walled City · Photography courtesy Condé Nast Traveller India
The heart of the residency is two weeks inside Jaipur's Walled City — one of the most visually and culturally extraordinary environments on earth. Abode Jaipur sits in Kishanpole, minutes from Hawa Mahal, City Palace, and Jantar Mantar, embedded in a neighbourhood alive with daily ritual, painted facades, and living craft traditions spanning centuries.
Jaipur is the world's gemstone capital. Its lanes are home to generations of kundan jewellers and meenakari enamel artists whose techniques have changed little in three hundred years. The hand-block printers of Sanganer, the carpet weavers of the old city, the dyers and weavers and painters — this is a city where material culture is not archived but practised, daily, in the streets. For artists, it is not a backdrop. It is the material.
What Is Covered
The programme is made possible through the generosity of a group of individual and institutional sponsors, each covering a specific element of the residency. Every cost is covered — there is no participation fee and no financial expectation of either selected artist.
FAACII manages the Indian visa application process for all international applicants, removing one of the most common practical barriers to residency programmes in India.
Who Should Apply
The residency is open to emerging and mid-career visual artists, sculptors, photographers, and mixed-media practitioners from anywhere in the world. We are looking for artists with a demonstrated body of work and a genuine connection to — or curiosity about — Indian art, culture, and heritage. We actively encourage applications from artists of diverse backgrounds and nationalities.
Applicants are required to submit an artist statement, portfolio of 10–15 recent works, a short project proposal describing the work they intend to create, a current CV, and two professional references.
Curatorial Programme
Alongside unstructured studio time, both artists will be supported by a curated programme of mentorship, cultural immersion, and hands-on workshops — designed to deepen their engagement with India's living artistic traditions and to provide sustained curatorial guidance throughout the residency.
Curatorial Mentorship
Both artists will benefit from ongoing mentorship from the FAACII Curatorial Committee throughout the five weeks — providing critical dialogue, curatorial framing, and support for the development of new work created during the residency. Sessions will take place across both cities, with the committee offering guidance that is responsive to each artist's individual practice and evolving response to their environment.
Cultural Site Tours
Abode Boutique Hotels is generously organising cultural site tours for both artists across Mumbai and Jaipur — providing access to some of India's most significant cultural and historic environments as part of the residency experience.
Workshops
Both artists will take part in a series of hands-on workshops designed to immerse them in the living craft traditions of each city:
Artists work directly with master craftspeople as creative participants rather than observers. Workshop partners will be announced in the coming weeks — watch this space.
Key Dates
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Round 1 — Global Applications | Closed 26 June 2026 |
| International Artist Selected | July 2026 |
| Round 2 — Indian Artists | Open now — closes Friday 24 July 2026 |
| Residency Begins — Abode Bombay | 21 August 2026 |
| Move to Abode Jaipur | 14 September 2026 |
| Residency Ends | 27 September 2026 |
The global application window has now closed and one international artist has been selected. FAACII INC is now welcoming applications from Indian artists for a second artist in residence position — working alongside their international peer across both cities. Applications for this round close Friday 24 July 2026.
Indian Artists — Apply Now
Round 2 applications are open to Indian artists until Friday 24 July 2026. Join the residency as a second artist in residence, working alongside an international peer across Bombay and Jaipur. Fully sponsored.
Apply Now at faacii.org Round 2 closes Friday 24 July 2026 · Open to Indian artists onlyFor questions about the programme, please contact us at contact@faacii.org. We look forward to welcoming an extraordinary artist to India this August.
FAACII INC ·
For Art and Culture in India Inc. ·
501(c)(3) Public Charity, New York ·
faacii.org
Accommodation partner: Abode Boutique Hotels (@abode.bombay · @abode.jaipur) · @forartandcultureinindia