ABI Residency
The Alice Boner Institute (ABI) residency programme is open to artists in the broadest sense of the word. This includes visual artists, writers, curators and scholars.
Residents of the programme will work out of the ABI. Located at Assi Ghat on the banks of the river Ganga, the ABI is an old house with heritage architecture. It was once the home of the Swiss artist and scholar, Alice Boner, from 1935 to 1978.
Residencies are typically offered for a minimum of one month and a maximum of three months. Short stays of less than 3 weeks or weekend visits do not fulfill the criteria of the programme.
The programme will be most beneficial to individuals whose research deals with the arts of India, or for whom the cultural context of Varanasi is integral.
Photo courtesy: Alice Boner Institute, Varanasi
Photo courtesy: Alice Boner Institute, Varanasi
The Residency
During the course of their stay, residents are expected to engage with other institutional networks as well as hold presentations, readings, and workshops for a public audience.
Residents at the Institute are provided with comfortable living, and studio facilities, and meals from the in-house kitchen. Wi-fi, laundry and other services are also provided. The interior of the Institute can host intimate exhibitions, and the modest venue on the terrace can be used for short performances and screenings. Have a look at our activity report from 2016-2018.
If you would like to apply to be a resident at the ABI, click the button below.
The Alice Boner Archive
The Alice Boner archive in Zurich holds about 30,000 photographs, over 2,000 artworks – sketches, drawings, paintings, and figures – and numerous handwritten documents such as diaries, correspondence, and manuscripts that were crucial to the Indologist. View the archive online here.
GBI organizes the in-house art collection at the Alice Boner Institute. Our consultant archivist Gourab Ghosh, oversees this ongoing project.
Photo courtesy: Alice Boner Institute, Varanasi