Home Away From Home, Le Geste Juste

"Home Away From Home, Le Geste Juste"

Mario D’Souza (born 1973, Bangalore) lives and works between India and Paris. Presented at the Alliance Française de Delhi in March 2026, Home Away From Home, le geste juste explores the idea of the “right gesture” : the moment when thought becomes action and an idea takes material form.

In D’Souza’s practice, gesture is both a means of making and a way of thinking. Sewing, stitching, and embroidery become acts of reflection carried out through the hand, drawing upon long traditions of craftsmanship and transmission. The needle becomes a tool of discovery, through which simple forms—stars, flowers, constellations—gradually emerge.

For the first time, the artist has invited artisans to embroider his drawings. This shift from line to stitch marks an important evolution in his work. The drawing is no longer solely the artist’s gesture but the result of collaboration, where craftsmanship is not a technical step but an essential dimension of the work itself.
Working slowly through repetition and attention to detail, D’Souza allows imperfections to remain visible. These marks become traces of time, labour, and presence. In this sense, the “right gesture” is not the perfect one, but the one that remains faithful to its origin.

The installation conceived for the Alliance Française introduces a new sense of verticality. Suspended works invite viewers to move through the space, encountering a field of forms, materials, and gestures rather than simply observing images.

Shaped by the artist’s life between France and India, the work brings together different textile traditions—from French Toile de Jouy to Indian silk. Ultimately, the exhibition reflects on the idea of belonging : home not as a place, but as a state of openness. Creation begins with a simple gesture—a thread passing through fabric—from which form, and gradually a world, emerges.