Sacatar (Bahia, Brazil) and Friche la Belle de Mai (Marseille, France) are pleased to announce a new partnership between the two organisations through the Villa Fatumbi program.

Created by the French Embassy in Brazil in 2025, Villa Fatumbi is a transatlantic cooperation initiative that seeks to redefine the connections between Brazil, France, and West African countries through art and culture, promoting dialogue and creativity among the three regions of the Atlantic.

The collaboration emerges from a mutual recognition of the parallels, both historic and contemporary, between Bahia and Marseille, and from a shared alignment in the missions of both institutions. Central to this partnership is a shared commitment to using artistic exchange as a way of engaging with the climate crises.

The partnership takes the form of a cross-residency exchange: a former Sacatar Fellow from Bahia will undertake a residency at Friche, while a former Friche Fellow based in Marseille comes to Sacatar. Both residencies take place in 2026 and are part of the Villa Fatumbi program.

From Marseille, Claude Eigan, a visual artist whose work explores metamorphosis, the body, and underwater landscapes, will be in residence at Sacatar from September 14th to November 16th, 2026.

From Jequié, Bahia, Alex Oliveira, a photographer whose practice is rooted in “Fotoperformance Popular” (People’s Photoperformance) — a relational approach to photography in which he invites participants to react to painted backdrops, often depicting large-scale disruptions to the landscape — will be in residence at Friche la Belle de Mai from October 8th to December 8th, 2026. Alex’s residency is supported by UMI Fund.

This exchange marks the first collaboration between Sacatar and Friche la Belle de Mai, in a joint hope that this connection can open new creative and critical possibilities for Bahia and Marseille, particularly in how these territories think about their environmental challenges.