OPEN CALL FOR ARTICLES
OPEN CALL FOR ARTICLES
Date of the announcement: August 10, 2026
Submission deadline: October 15, 2026
RVULI: Independent Art Spaces and the Critique of “Art Criticism” in Georgia
In Georgia’s rapid cycle of political change, art ideologies and institutions struggle to take root. These institutions—artist-run spaces, site-and time-specific projects, online and offline spaces, NGOs, and other forms that generate temporary or lasting artistic experiences—often exist only in people’s memories. Independent art spaces and their exhibitions often go unnoticed and unarchived. Few exhibitions or events receive pre- or post-textual discussion; dedicated art publications and platforms are lacking. Within art circles, partisan critiques—both “leftist” and “rightist”—and critiques of “art criticism” circulate orally, but they are rarely recorded in writing.
AICA Georgia’s inaugural bilingual online publication (Georgian/English) invites in cooperation with AICA Germany art critics, curators, writers, and anyone interested in critical writing to reflect on attitudes toward independent art institutions and art criticism in Georgia.
Submissions may take diverse forms and positions: case studies of individuals or institutions, reviews, journalistic reports, essays, interviews or dialogues, and theoretical texts. The contributions should circulate around independent institutions, artist-run spaces, informal art education initiatives and institutions, community initiatives, art activism, social space and place making, etc.
The collected texts will be published in AICA Georgia’s publication Rvuli. The publication aims to document the nature and significance of Georgia’s art spaces and to foster a sustained discussion about art criticism.
The contributions should not be less than 1800 characters (incl.) and come along with a short biography of the author/s (max. 200 words).
Eight articles by authors from Georgia and Germany will be selected. Each selected author will receive an honorarium of €120.
Interested authors, organizations and institutions are warmly invited to participate in two cost-free webinars, which will provide and discuss partially particular topics in the actual cultural-political situation in Georgia.
Webinar 1 I Monday, September 14, 7-8.30 pm, Censorship, Art Criticism, and Freedom of Expression — Lessons from Georgia and Germany, registration required (until September 12): vorstand@aica.de
Webinar 2 I Wednesday, September 23, 2026 I 7-8.30 pm, Official representation of contemporary Georgian culture, state influence, and international reception, registration required (until September 21): vorstand@aica.de
About Rvuli
Rvuli is a bilingual (Georgian/English) online magazine and platform hosted on aica.ge that fosters critical exchange between emerging Georgian and German art critics and advocates for freedom of expression. Responding to rising authoritarian pressures, information era multi-censorship and the social transformations driven by artificial intelligence, Rvuli will publish eight focused contributions by young critics, organise two transnational webinars, and produce a publication documenting debates on art criticism and free expression.
Background
Georgia currently lacks a dedicated contemporary art magazine (online or print). At the same time, increasing political repression and evolving information ecosystems threaten critical cultural discourse. Rvuli (an old Georgian word for “notebook,” associated with the number eight, as manuscripts were folded in 8 pages) will both symbolically and practically reclaim space for sustained, rigorous art criticism. By pairing Georgian voices with German counterparts and using AICA’s institutional networks, the project will strengthen critical capacity and visibility for independent perspectives. This Georgien-German cooperation is developed in continuation of a first online network meeting between the two sections on the current situation in Georgia, in May 2025, with Lali Perteneva, Natia Mikeladze-Bachsolani and Tamuna Chabashvili.
Contact:
Lali Perteneva (Aica Georgia) info@aicageorgia.org
Jeannette Brabenetz (Aica Germany) vorstand@aica.de
Submission deadline: October 15, 2026
Poster by Lexo Soselia
Poster image by Sarah Cowles, Zelkova tree, 2018
The collaboration project is supported by AICA International.
