Serendipity Arts Residency 2026
ABOUT
Serendipity Arts Residency 2026 is a three-month, immersive residency programme based in New Delhi, designed to support emerging practitioners working across contemporary art forms. The programme welcomes applications from artists across disciplines, including craft, visual arts, installation, sound, and interdisciplinary or experimental practices.
Entering its ninth edition, the Residency remains committed to nurturing artistic research, critical inquiry, and innovative modes of practice. Residents are provided with time, space, and curatorial support to develop a new body of work or advance an ongoing line of investigation, while engaging deeply with the cultural and artistic landscape of New Delhi.
Participants
6 Artists-in-Residence
TIMELINE
Open Call Commencement: 3rd Feb 2026
Submission Deadline: 11th March 2026
Location: Studio Space Address: Serendipity Arts Foundation/Festival, C-340, Basement, Chetna Marg, Block C, Defence Colony, New Delhi-110024
Google Maps location: https://goo.gl/maps/UBPCanDejeE4wQdk6
FACILITIES
Residents will be provided with furnished accommodation in New Delhi, along with access to available studio space. In addition, each resident will receive a monthly allowance to support living expenses, inclusive of meals. A production grant will be provided to assist with the development of their proposed work. The production grant may be used towards materials, tools, technical assistance, and collaborations such as musicians, writers, costume designers, set designers, or other specialist contributors as required.
Serendipity Arts will offer ongoing advisory throughout the Residency, including guidance on project development, access to technical infrastructure, and assistance with publicity and outreach for residency-related events and presentations. Residents will also be supported in connecting with curators, artists, critics, gallery professionals, workshop facilitators, and other members of the cultural ecosystem they wish to engage with, thereby positioning the residency as a platform for professional exchange and network building.
The Residency programme is designed to foster critical reflection on individual practice while encouraging exposure to diverse artistic processes and media. Through shared sessions, discussions, and informal exchanges, residents are encouraged to articulate their work, engage with peer feedback, and collaborate with fellow residents.
Grant Scheme
Grant Amount: INR 80000
Per diem: INR 12000/month (for three months)
STRUCTURE
The Residency unfolds over three phases, moving from research and collective inquiry to focused mentorship and, finally, production and public presentation.
Phase 1: Exploration and Observation (May–June)
The opening phase centres on shared learning, dialogue, and immersion. Residents participate in a structured programme of peer discussions, critique and feedback sessions, artist-led conversations, masterclasses, workshops, and visits to studios, galleries, and cultural spaces. These engagements are designed to foster exchange, encourage collaboration, and situate each practice within a wider artistic and cultural context.
Phase 2: Mentorship and Research (June–July)
This phase focuses on deepening individual lines of inquiry through sustained research and mentorship. Residents propose artists, researchers, or scholars they wish to work with as mentors, and SAF facilitates these connections. The period is dedicated to reading, writing, discussion, and ideation, alongside weekly mentorship sessions, allowing projects to be critically developed and conceptually refined before moving into full production.
Phase 3: Production (July–August)
In the final phase, residents move fully into production, working towards a public-facing Open Studio in August. This culminates in a series of presentations that offer audiences insight into the residents’ processes, through exhibitions, performances, works-in-progress, talks, and other experimental formats.
Artists-in-Residence
Selection Process
Artists-in-Residence will be selected by the external Jury via an Open Call.
Eligibility
- Applicants must not be more than 35 years of age at the time of submission.
- The residency is open only to Indian Citizens residing in the country for at least over the past 2 years.
- Applicants must not have attended a residency in the past 1 year.
Application Process
Completed application form, which will include the following:
- A brief, updated CV (max. 2 pages)
- Your bio in 250 words
- High Res. individual picture
- Pronouns
- Social media handles (e.g., IG, X, FB) for public accounts
- Age proof document (Aadhaar card or any government-issued ID, or matriculation certificate)
- Emergency contact number (with name)
- Project Proposal (in not more than 500 words)
- A 500- word essay explaining why the applicant would like to attend the Residency, what they would like to do while in attendance, and how the experience is likely to contribute to their present practice and/or project.
- A short portfolio of the applicant’s present practice. This may consist of:
- artwork with the details (Title, Dimension, Medium, Year, and description of the artwork)
- videos, sound files (embedded as open links)
- photographs or other documentation of previous works
- a combination of the above, where the total number of items submitted is not more than five.
jury
Arunkumar H.G completed his BA (Fine) and MA (Fine) at M S University of Baroda in 1993 and 1995. In 2014, he set up SARA Centre for Art & Environment (www.saracentre.org) in the Western Ghats region of Karnataka, India. Solo shows include Overshoot at Gallery Sumukha Bengaluru, Con-struction at Gallery Espace New Delhi, In-site, Aicon Gallery New York, 2018; Tract, Nature Morte, New Delhi, 2010; Feed, Nature Morte, New Delhi, Sakshi Gallery Mumbai, 2006.
Latika Gupta is an art historian and curator based in Delhi. She has worked as a curator at the NGMA, KHOJ International Artists’ Association, curated exhibitions of South Asian and international contemporary art, and the permanent exhibition for an ethnographic museum in Kargil, Ladakh. She was Associate Editor at MARG publications from 2016-2020 has been co-mentor for the Curatorial Intensive South Asia programme (Khoj & Goethe-Institut/MMB) since 2019. Latika teaches courses on Trans- Himalayan visual and material cultures as visiting faculty at Ashoka University, Sonipat since 2021 and works as Director, Sher-Gil Sundaram Arts Foundation in Delhi.
Over the last two decades, she has shown solo exhibitions in Mumbai (2006, 2007, 2013, 2018), Delhi (2009,2015), Hong Kong (2011), Hamburg (2019, 2021) and Bangalore (2021). Her work has widely been shown in institutional and curated exhibitions, significantly in Mardin Biennale (Turkey 2022), Curitiba Biennale(Brazil 2019),Bhau Daji Lad Museum (Mumbai, 2018),Colombo Biennale (Sri Lanka 2014) and Hangzhou Triennale (PRC, 2013). She has worked as full time faculty and as a Visiting Faculty at Srishti School of Arts and Design (2012-14, 2017-2020), as Visiting Associate Professor at School of Culture and Creative Expression at Ambedkar University (2016-2017). She has been working as Associate Professor of Practice and chairing the Department of Visual Arts (2021-2024, 2025 onwards) at Ashoka University.
Sudheer Rajbhar is a Mumbai-based interdisciplinary artist, designer, and social entrepreneur renowned for founding CHAMAR, a sustainable fashion brand that reclaims the derogatory term “Chamar” and transforms it into a symbol of pride and craftsmanship. Rajbhar founded Chamar Studio, aiming to empower marginalized Dalit and Muslim artisans, particularly those affected by the 2015 beef ban that disrupted their livelihoods. The brand’s signature material, a canvas mesh fused with recycled rubber, was developed through meticulous research and collaboration with local artisans in Dharavi, Mumbai’s largest slum.
Terms and Conditions
- Selected residents will be announced by late March or early April 2026.
- Selections will be undertaken by an external panel of jurors appointed by Serendipity Arts.
- Applications by immediate family members of Serendipity Arts employees will not be considered.
- People must be willing to stay in the accommodation provided by Serendipity Arts for the duration of three months of the Residency.
- The use or possession of drugs and alcohol within the studio premises is strictly prohibited. Violation may lead to immediate termination of the residency.
- SAF reserves the right to terminate the resident at any time in cases of misconduct, misbehavior, or violation of residency rules.
- All communication related to requirements or support must be routed through the designated team members from Serendipity Arts.
FAQs
Q1. Can I apply with a work-in-progress project?
A1. Yes, you can apply with a work-in-progress project or a new project that you would like to realise during the course of this residency.
Q2. I do not have a portfolio. What else can I share?
A2. You can share a set of samples of your work.
Q3. I live in New Delhi; can I still apply?
A3. Yes. Selected applicants are expected to stay in the accommodation provided by SAF for the course of the residency.
Q4. Will my travel from my hometown be covered by SAF?
A4. No. Selected applicants will have to travel to New Delhi at their own expense.
Q5. Can I bring collaborators on-board?
A5. Yes, however their fee would have to be covered by the artist-in-residence.
Q6. I will be available to stay in Delhi only for a few days. Can I still apply?
A6. No. The selected applicants need to be in Delhi for the entire duration of three months.
Q7. I have a full-time job. Can I still apply?
A7. No. The selected applicants need to be involved in the residency full-time.
Q8. I am working on several other projects as a freelancer. Can I still apply?
A8. Yes. But the selected applicant needs to be involved in the residency full-time and have to be in the studio space for three months.
Q9. I have a home in Delhi. Can I stay at my own residence during the residency period?
A9. No. Residents are required to stay at the accommodation provided as part of the residency.
Q10. My college reopens after the semester break in July–August. Can I attend college while participating in the residency?
A10. No. Pursuing any form of Regular education, degree, or certificate course during the residency period is not permitted.
Q11. Can I invite mentors, parents, or friends to the studio for guidance or discussion?
A11. Yes. Visits are permitted for everyone between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm, on weekdays only.
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