Illustration
"Au Bord du bord" (Centre Culturel Aragon - Oyonnax, 2025) | © Cie Col’jam

PAIR - Program for International Artists in Residence

  • Visual Arts / Photography
  • Cinema
  • Digital creation
  • Book
  • Crafts / Design
  • Performing arts / Music

PAIR is a program designed for cultural structures in mainland France and the French overseas territories, to promote residencies for foreign creators.

  • Applications must be submitted by the host structure on the IFprog platform.
  • An information webinar will be held on November 20, 2025 at 2:30 pm GMT+1
    connection link 
     

With PAIR, the Institut français is committed to supporting structures located in metropolitan and overseas France in their international outreach, by enabling them to host foreign artists in residence.

To apply for this scheme, the host structure submits an application with the artist of its choice. Together, they propose a research and creation project that requires the artist to come to France for a residency of 1 to 3 months.

The winning structures are awarded a grant calculated according to the artist's country of origin and the duration of the residency.
 

In 2025, this call for projects concerns all geographical areas.

For its second edition, PAIR continues its commitment to African artists while extending its scheme to all geographical zones with the desire to strengthen links between French and foreign artistic communities in numerous disciplines including visual arts, performing arts, literature, cinema, etc.

In 2026, between 20 and 30 projects will be supported and must take place between June 2026 and June 2027.

  • Street art / Circus / Puppetry / Dance / Theater / Music
  • Visual art / Photography / Curating
  • Cinema (animation, creative documentary, video art)
  • Digital creation
  • Design
  • Graphic design
  • Literature (fiction / essay / children's literature) / Comics
  • Art professions

Meeting on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, the advisory selection committee designated 29 winning residency structures. 37 artists, designers or creators from 16 African countries, who will be hosted in residency between October 2024 and December 2025.

  • AMI-AIDE AUX MUSIQUES INNOVATRICES, Marseille - CHEBBI Hazem / KHMIRI Jihed, Tunisia - Dance discipline - 4weeks
  • ARTY FARTY, Lyon - MC Waraba, Mali - Dance discipline - 4 weeks
  • ASSOCIATION CHERCHEURS D'ART, Mana (Guyanne) - SAHANI Isaac, Democratic Republic of Congo - Music and Jazz discipline - 4 weeks
  • ASSOCIATION NOVA VILLA, Reims - DIAMA Jeanne - Mali - Theater discipline - 6 weeks
  • CAPC, MUSEE D'ART CONTEMPORAIN, Bordeaux - SOMDYALA Inga, South Africa - Discipline Visual Arts - 7 weeks
  • CENTRE D'ART CONTEMPORAIN DE LA FERME DU BUISSON, Noisiel - MAKAZA Troy, Zimbabwe - Discipline Visual Arts - 8 weeks
  • CICLIC ANIMATION, Vendôme - FAITH William, Nigeria - Discipline Cinéma - 4 weeks
  • CITE INTERNATIONALE DE LA BANDE DESSINEE ET DE L'IMAGE, Angoulême - GASMI Abir and ZAKOURO Kamal, Tunisia - Discipline Bande dessinée - 4 weeks

COMPAGNIE DANS6T, Tarbes - BADDOU Mohammed, Morocco - Discipline Dance - 4 weeks

  • ETC CARAÏBE _ CENTRE CARIBEEN DES DRAMATURGIES CONTEMPORAINES, Schoelcher (Martinique) - HOUNVO YEKPE Bidossessi Nathalie, Benin - Discipline Theater - 4 weeks

GMEM - CENTRE NATIONAL DE CREATION MUSICALE, Marseille - IVALMOK, Togo - Discipline Classical and Contemporary Music - 5 weeksLA CITE DU MUSIC-HALL ET DES ARTS POPULAIRES, Le Mans -Petit Tonton / FOFANA Mamadou, Guinea and Mali - Discipline Theatre - 4 weeksLA MAISON DES ÉCRITURES POUR LA MAIRIE DE LA ROCHELLE, La Rochelle - HOUNKPATIN Gaël Tchêgoun, Benin - Discipline Theatre - 7 weeksLA MANTE RELIGIEUZ, Annecy - Leuz Diwane G, Senegal - Discipline Musiques actuelles et jazz - 4 weeksLA METIVE, Moutier D'Ahun - Shema Gaetan, Rwanda - Discipline Arts visuels - 4 weeksLALANBIK, Saint-Pierre (La Réunion) (Itinérance : Le Hangar center chorégraphique à Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, Espace Culturel Café et Lambrequin à l'Entre-Deux) - RASAMIARISON Anjara Nantenaina, Madagascar / (Itinérance : Le Hangar center chorégraphique Éric Languet à Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, Cité des Arts à Saint-Denis) -Seush, Comoros - Dance discipline - 5 weeks.

  • LE PLUS PETIT CIRQUE DU MONDE - CENTRE CULTUREL DE RENCONTRE, Bagneux - THIAM Mariétou, Senegal - Discipline Street Arts, Circus, Puppetry - 4 weeks
  • LES BANCS PUBLICS - LIEU D'EXPERIMENTATIONS CULTURELLES, Marseille - MACHADO NHAPULO Mai-Júli, Mozambique - Discipline Dance - 8 weeks
  • LES FRANCOPHONIES - DES ECRITURES A LA SCENE, Limoges - Bibatanko, Democratic Republic of Congo - Discipline Theatre - 6 weeks
  • RAMDAM, UN CENTRE D'ART, Sainte Foy lès Lyon (itinérance : festival Barizière des possibles à Barrais Bussole)- ADEBAJO Femi, Nigeria - Discipline Dance - 12 weeks

LES RENCONTRES AUDIOVISUELLES, Lille - SAOUD Zouhour, Tunisia - Discipline Digital Creation - 4 weeks

  • SENS INTERDITS, Lyon - SABIMBONA Freddy et MUGISHA Josué, Burundi - Discipline Théâtre - 4 weeks

SERVICES CULTURELS DE LA VILLE D'OYONNAX - CENTRE CULTUREL ARAGON, Oyonnax - EL MORSLI Ahlam and GAGUI Wajdi, Morocco - Discipline Dance - 6 weeks

  • THEATRE JOLIETTE, Marseille - Carine POET and Pascart SOLO, Rwanda - Discipline Musiques actuelles et jazz - 4 weeks

THEATRE L'AIRE LIBRE, Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande - DISANKA Michael, Democratic Republic of Congo - Discipline Théâtre - 6 weeks

  • TOGEZER PRODUCTIONS, Chaumes-en-Retz - TCHEGNON Brice Jimmyl et TOTIN Emile, Benin - Discipline Musiques actuelles et jazz - 4 weeks

VILLA GILLET, Lyon - SHONEYIM Lola, Nigeria - Book discipline - 4 weeks

  • VILLA VALMONT, Lormont - ABIDI Iheb, Tunisia - Cinema discipline - 4 weeks
  • WA TID SAOU - ALLONS DANSER (COMPAGNIE AUGUSTE-BIENVENUE), Bordeaux - SIWA Carmélita, Benin - Dance discipline - 6 weeks

The Advisory Board, chaired by Anne-Sophie Braud, Deputy Director of the Mobilités et manifestations internationales department at the Institut français, was made up of:

  • Fabienne Brütt, Chargée de mission mobilité des artistes et des professionnels de la culture and Nicolas Vergneau, chargé de mission pour la politique des résidences, tiers-lieux de création et pour les programmes transversaux de soutien à la création - representatives of the Ministry of Culture, as observers
  • Marine Demailly, rédactrice de la Culture et des Médias - representative of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, as observer
  • Chloé Fricout, head of the Residences division, Glenda Laporte, project manager at the Residences division, Natalia Rest, project assistant with the Residences division and Valérie Lesbros, responsible for the Culture and Solidarity Partnerships division, representing the Institut français
  • Emilie Demon, director and co-owner of AFRONOVA GALLERY, South Africa - expert in visual arts, curating and photography
    • Mawuto Dick, director of Togoville Jazz Festival and founder of LEVEL Production, FIRST and Espace Culturel LEVEL, Togo - expert in contemporary and jazz music, classical and contemporary music

Hicham Falah, director, scriptwriter, producer, artistic director of the Agadir International Documentary Film Festival and the Salé International Women's Film Festival, Morocco - expert for the cinema and digital creation disciplines

  • Fatima Ndoye, choreographic artist and artistic director of the "Génération A" festival at the Théâtre Paris Villette, France - expert for the dance discipline
  • Excused: Hakim Bah, author, director and artistic director of the "Univers des Mots" festival, Guinea - expert for the disciplines theater and street arts, circus, puppetry and Kidi Bebey, journalist, consultant, author and critic for the newspaper le Monde, France - expert for the disciplines literature and comics

Contacts

  • until January 16, 2026: Glenda Laporte, Chargée de mission au pôle Résidences 
     
  • from January 19, 2026: Audrey Level, Chargée de projet au pôle Résidences