Indian Artists Rutuja Sonawane and Mohammad Riyaz Selected for Raza Students’ Biennale Scholarship 2026 in France

Chosen from 183 participants in the 2025 to 2026 Students’ Biennale, the two artists will study at Beaux Arts de Marseille for a semester through an exchange supported by three cultural organisations.

Indian Artists Rutuja Sonawane and Mohammad Riyaz Selected for Raza Students’ Biennale Scholarship 2026 in France
New Delhi, November 11, 2026: Indian artists Rutuja Sonawane and Mohammad Riyaz have been selected for the 2026 Raza Students’ Biennale Scholarship, an academic and artistic exchange programme that enables emerging Indian artists to study at Beaux Arts de Marseille in France.
The scholarship is supported by the French Institute in India (IFI), the Raza Foundation and the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF).
Both recipients were selected from 183 participants in the 2025 to 2026 Students’ Biennale, an educational initiative organised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation.

Their semester in Marseille began on September 21, 2026, and is scheduled to continue until January 29, 2027.
The programme provides selected artists with an opportunity to develop their artistic practices, engage with students and faculty in France and explore approaches to contemporary art and research.
The French Institute in India and the Raza Foundation jointly support travel, accommodation and living expenses. The French Institute also provides two months of online French language classes before departure.
The selection followed a two month evaluation process conducted by a jury comprising independent arts educator, researcher and curator Shaleen Wadhwana; Umah Jacob, Director of External Relations & Outreach at India Art Fair; Goa based artist Rajyashri Goody; and multidisciplinary artist Osheen Siva.

The scholarship forms part of a two phase exchange programme between India and France.
In its earlier phase, students Kaki Weiss and Nina Durel from Beaux Arts de Marseille participated in a residency in Kochi from December 1 to December 15, 2025.
Both artists received grants from the Kochi Biennale Foundation to produce original work during the residency.
Their works were subsequently exhibited at the sixth edition of the Students’ Biennale, held from December 12, 2025, to March 31, 2026.
Rutuja Sonawane, a student of Sir J. J. School of Art in Mumbai, works across painting, portraiture, installation and found objects
Her installation, People’s Orchestra, was presented at VKL Warehouse in Mattancherry, Kochi, during the 2025 to 2026 Students’ Biennale.

The work examines the history of Swar Samrat, a brass band established nearly 50 years ago by her father, Bhagwan Sonawane, in Satana, Maharashtra.
Influenced by Ambedkarite thought, the band’s original compositions address education, equality and social change.
Through musical instruments, leather, textiles and objects associated with the ensemble, Sonawane explores family memory, caste, identity and the preservation of community histories.
The installation also traces the band’s development from performances using a handcart to large public processions.
Speaking about her selection, Sonawane said:

“It is an opportunity to step outside the environment in which my practice has developed and encounter different ways of thinking about art, research and artistic education. At this stage of my practice, I would like to explore how sound, music, archives and collective memory can be translated into contemporary visual and spatial forms.”
She also expressed an interest in experimenting with new installation materials and continuing research into her father’s journey and the community associated with the band.
Mohammad Riyaz, who is pursuing an MFA in Painting at the Government Institute of Fine Arts in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, works with textiles, painting and garment construction.
His contribution to Inheritance of the Hand, a collaborative project with artist Aman Kumar Bavariya, was exhibited at Arthshila Kochi.
The project uses manjarpat, a form of raw muslin associated with India’s colonial history and questions of labour, resistance and economic control.

Riyaz’s individual practice draws on his experiences of rural life and farming communities.
He uses stitched and painted muslin, layered surfaces and reconstructed garments to examine agricultural struggles, dignity and the experiences of farmers.
Reflecting on his artistic background, Riyaz said:
“Growing up on my family’s farm, witnessing the lives, struggles and everyday experiences of Indian middle-class farmers has profoundly shaped my artistic practice.”
During his semester in Marseille, Riyaz intends to pursue further research into textile based practices and installation art, while exploring new ways to present his work and communicate personal experiences.

Grégor Trumel, Director of the French Institute in India, said the scholarship continues the institute’s collaboration with the Kochi Biennale Foundation and its support for artistic exchanges between the two countries.
The programme also draws on the legacy of Indian painter S.H. Raza, who travelled to France in 1950 on a French Government scholarship to study at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux Arts in Paris.
Raza later established a studio in Gorbio, France, where he lived and worked for nearly 20 years.
Ashok Vajpeyi, Managing and Life Trustee of the Raza Foundation, welcomed the opportunity for the two Indian artists to spend a semester in Marseille.
“The Raza Foundation is happy to join the French Institute in India and Kochi Biennale Foundation to support the Raza Students’ Biennale Scholarship enabling the visit and stay of two bright Indian students for a semester in Beaux-Arts de Marseille.”
The scholarship continues an educational exchange intended to provide emerging artists with international academic exposure, opportunities for research and connections with artistic communities in India and France.

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