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La Fondation Thalie

Production residency

Residency brief

Founded in 2014, the Thalie Foundation is a philanthropic initiative established by Nathalie Guiot, a former publisher, art collector, exhibition curator, and philanthropist. Through an art collection, an art centre in Brussels (2016–2024) encompassing a public exhibition programme, artist residencies, and patronage in the fields of visual arts and ecological thought, the foundation dedicated a decade to supporting contemporary creation.

In 2021, it opened its doors in Arles. As part of the Villa Swagatam residency programme, led by the Institut français in India, the Thalie Foundation hosts an artist for a research and production residency. This programme, designed to foster cultural exchange between France and South Asia, is open to artists whose practice engages in dialogue with local craftsmanship, traditional know-how, and the history of collecting.

  • Thematic focus Visual Arts / Arts and Crafts / Design
  • Location Arles, France
  • Dates September - October 2026
  • Length of stay 1 month

Our Space

The exhibition space and the collection are housed in an 18th-century mansion at the foot of the Arènes. The house was fully renovated with the involvement of local craftspeople. The first two floors are dedicated to exhibitions, while the resident will stay in a separate private house only a five-minute walk away, offering an intimate and inspiring living and working environment in the heart of a city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Gargi Chandola

Visual Artist

My work is deeply influenced by my lived experience, in an urban forest. Observing my surroundings made up of diverse flora and fauna - I create miniature paintings that feature a woman who lives in a forest juxtaposed with her nemesis, the macaque monkeys. These paintings often explore the power dynamic and the dichotomy of their existence in shared territory. At this residency, I am excited to bring a bit of theatre that plays out in my jungle to Arles.

Gargi Chandola is a visual artist based in New Delhi, trained under the Indian miniature painting tradition. Her work gravitates towards themes of feminism, power, territory, violence, consumption through an ecological lens, and often articulates these with a touch of humour.

Her work has been featured in publications and institutions such as Al Jazeera, Vogue India, Architecture Digest, Asia Now Paris, India Art fair. In 2016-17 she spearheaded a public arts project in the city of Varanasi for INTAACH. More recently she was chosen as a Fearless Ambassador, under the Fearless Ambassadorship Program 2023-24. In 2021, she was awarded the Artreach Fellowship, focused on mentoring and designing an art curriculum for children in care-homes across Delhi.

Residency conditions

  • The resident should be willing to give up to 20% of his/her residency time to participate in various public engagements and events organized by the Residency.
  • The resident will be provided with accommodation at Arles
  • The resident will receive a fixed stipend of INR. 60 000 per month to cover his/her food and living expenses.
  • The resident will be provided with studio facilities, as well as adapted means of production.
  • 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.
  • Condition related to artwork produced: the resident will be supported by residency coordinator Eugénie Lefebvre, founder of Les Ateliers de la Madeleine residency in Arles. An open-studio will be organised at the end of the residency.

Eligibility criteria

  • Proficiency in English is required for the applicant