About Us
Art For Art Foundation (A4A) is a not-for-profit arts organisation established in 2011 and based in New Delhi, India. Founded by artist Pooja Bahri and curator Archana Sapra, A4A was conceived to address a critical gap between formal arts education and sustained professional practice. Since its inception, the foundation has worked to build an ecosystem that supports serious artistic enquiry over time, through dialogue, and within the community.
A4A’s programmes are structured around residencies, mentorship, fellowships, public initiatives, and educational engagements. Together, these form a continuum of support that enables emerging artists to research, experiment, and develop their practices within a shared framework. Rather than focusing solely on outcomes, A4A foregrounds process, critical exchange, and long-term learning, creating conditions in which artists can engage deeply with materials, ideas, and peers.
Residencies sit at the core of A4A’s programming. They are conceived as spaces for enquiry rather than production deadlines, offering artists the rare combination of time, proximity to other practices, and the freedom to test ideas without immediate pressure to resolve a work. Within this structure, artists engage in material exploration, research, and reflection while participating in an active culture of exchange.
Mentorship forms the foundation’s central pedagogical model. At A4A, mentorship is understood as rigorous, practice-based companionship rather than instruction. Mentors are practising artists and cultural practitioners who support participants in clarifying questions, strengthening research pathways, making informed material and methodological choices, and developing the language of their work through sustained critique and conversation. This approach directly addresses the common gap artists face after art school, marked by limited peer community and irregular critical guidance.
Masterclasses and public learning initiatives extend this mentoring ethos beyond the residency cohort. Led by mentors and invited practitioners, these sessions translate professional artistic practices into accessible, shared knowledge, addressing research methods, material thinking, documentation, critical writing, and navigating professional contexts. In doing so, A4A strengthens the wider cultural ecology around its core programmes.
Since 2011, A4A has supported over 350 artists through residencies and related initiatives, and has conducted more than 50 workshops and masterclasses. The foundation’s impact lies not only in individual artistic development but in the networks, conversations, and cultural infrastructure that emerge through sustained engagement. A4A continues to operate on a simple but enduring conviction: that serious artistic practice requires time, critique, and community, and that institutions built around these values can meaningfully shape artistic careers and public culture.
