Speakers 2022
Anna Shvets
Mentor
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Anna Shvets is an arts manager, producer of international art projects, and an independent curator. For 18 years, she has been carrying out different activities as a producer of cultural projects and curator of contemporary art exhibitions, in collaboration with embassies, institutional and independent spaces.
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Shvets is a founder and CEO of TAtchers’ Art Management, a company offering international Art PR, exhibition management, and curatorial services, artist's consulting and promotion. She is an author of educational programs and articles on contemporary art, art business, art and new technologies, an experienced moderator and speaker at public talks and other events dedicated to contemporary culture. Currently, she is teaching art business at several international universities.
Dagmar Schürrer
Mentor
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Dagmar Schürrer is an Austrian new media artist based in Berlin, Germany. She assembles digitally generated objects and animations, text and sound to form intricate video sound montages and installations, often extended by Augmented Reality applications.
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Significant international presentation of her works include ICA London; Moscow Biennale for Young Art; Centre Pompidou Paris; Haus der Kulturen der Welt Berlin; Louvre Auditorium Paris; Transmediale Vorspiel Berlin; Museum of Waste, Changsha, China; SUPERNOVA, Denver; and Diagonale Film Festival, Graz.
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She is a research assistant at the University of Applied Sciences Berlin, where she teaches AR technologies and supports the production of AR applications in the field of art and culture.
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As a board member of the Berlin media art association she is committed to supporting new forms of presentation of contemporary new media art.
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www.dagmarschuerrer.com
Giorgi Spanderashvili
Speaker
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Giorgi Spanderashvili is a Georgia-based curator, art manager and cultural professional. Since 2010, he has been engaged in the fields of contemporary visual and performing arts, and has worked on a number of local and international projects. He is a co-founder & co-curator of a Georgian video art archive and the independent new media art platform In-between Conditions. This year, he curated the Georgian National Pavilion 59thVenice International Exhibition – Biennale Arte 2022.
Sophia Lapiashvili
Speaker
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Sophia Lapiashvili educated art historian. Currently working as an independant cultural manager, project coordinator, curator, photographer.
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Co-Founder of SHUQURA Hands on Museum which currently leads ECO design and art workshop for kids and adults, combining all kinds of media , directing into sustainable art and design. Co- Founder of
sustainable fashion brand „USULI“. They are collecting leftovers from the fashion industiry such as fabrics and leather and are creating shoes and acsessories out of it.
Pari Banu Asgar
Speaker
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Pari Banu Asgar is a transgender visual artist, performer, designer, and poetess. As a queer artist with an Iranian heritage, she investigates gender, identity and violence, recreating myths and fairy tales. She removes the borders between masculinity and femininity by experimenting with different mediums such as performance, photography, sound and video.
Mentor
✳
✳
Anna Shvets is an arts manager, producer of international art projects, and an independent curator. For 18 years, she has been carrying out different activities as a producer of cultural projects and curator of contemporary art exhibitions, in collaboration with embassies, institutional and independent spaces.
✳
Shvets is a founder and CEO of TAtchers’ Art Management, a company offering international Art PR, exhibition management, and curatorial services, artist's consulting and promotion. She is an author of educational programs and articles on contemporary art, art business, art and new technologies, an experienced moderator and speaker at public talks and other events dedicated to contemporary culture. Currently, she is teaching art business at several international universities.
Dagmar Schürrer
Mentor
✳
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Dagmar Schürrer is an Austrian new media artist based in Berlin, Germany. She assembles digitally generated objects and animations, text and sound to form intricate video sound montages and installations, often extended by Augmented Reality applications.
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Significant international presentation of her works include ICA London; Moscow Biennale for Young Art; Centre Pompidou Paris; Haus der Kulturen der Welt Berlin; Louvre Auditorium Paris; Transmediale Vorspiel Berlin; Museum of Waste, Changsha, China; SUPERNOVA, Denver; and Diagonale Film Festival, Graz.
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She is a research assistant at the University of Applied Sciences Berlin, where she teaches AR technologies and supports the production of AR applications in the field of art and culture.
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As a board member of the Berlin media art association she is committed to supporting new forms of presentation of contemporary new media art.
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www.dagmarschuerrer.com
Giorgi Spanderashvili
Speaker
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Giorgi Spanderashvili is a Georgia-based curator, art manager and cultural professional. Since 2010, he has been engaged in the fields of contemporary visual and performing arts, and has worked on a number of local and international projects. He is a co-founder & co-curator of a Georgian video art archive and the independent new media art platform In-between Conditions. This year, he curated the Georgian National Pavilion 59thVenice International Exhibition – Biennale Arte 2022.
Sophia Lapiashvili
Speaker
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Sophia Lapiashvili educated art historian. Currently working as an independant cultural manager, project coordinator, curator, photographer.
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Co-Founder of SHUQURA Hands on Museum which currently leads ECO design and art workshop for kids and adults, combining all kinds of media , directing into sustainable art and design. Co- Founder of
sustainable fashion brand „USULI“. They are collecting leftovers from the fashion industiry such as fabrics and leather and are creating shoes and acsessories out of it.
Pari Banu Asgar
Speaker
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Pari Banu Asgar is a transgender visual artist, performer, designer, and poetess. As a queer artist with an Iranian heritage, she investigates gender, identity and violence, recreating myths and fairy tales. She removes the borders between masculinity and femininity by experimenting with different mediums such as performance, photography, sound and video.
Sara Culmann
Mentor
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Sara Culmann is a visual artist, designer and researcher at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam with a current residence in Berlin at the Academy of Arts. She is also teaching animation software at the Prague Media School, an educational institution that supports independent journalism in Eastern Europe.
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Culmann’s research is focusing on game studies, semantics of digital tools and media, as well as historical parallels and intersections. In her artistic work she reflects on the existential impact of the cult of progress, scientific knowledge and information bias with the use of cultural clichés and imprints.
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Sara participated in numerous international exhibitions and projects, including 2021 Radical gaming (HEK, Basel), 2021 Art Encounters Biennial (Timișoara, Romania), 2020 Extemporary: Art out of time (PERMM, Perm and NCCA Arsenal, and several others.
Ksenia Nam
Facilitator
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Ksenia Nam is a new media artist, curator and a graphic designer based in Tbilisi. After studying at Moscow Architectural Institute, she decided to continue exploring other art mediums. She is using AI to try to find the answers to the looming identity crisis of all humanity and existence. She became a member of the Untitled Gallery collective in April 2022.
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Ksenia participated in numerous international exhibitions and projects, including COP 26. Glasgow, Scotland, November 2021; Minute_MAPP. Tokyo, Japan, May 2021; Collapse is Imminent (?) installation, abandoned factory, Moscow, November 2020; Ars Electronica, Internet Yami-Ichi. Linz, Austria, September 20; Urban Solitude exhibition in Hong Kong, May 2022.
Joris Demnard
Speaker
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Joris Demnard is a digital architect and solution provider of 3D, XR, and web solutions for the art and cultural sector. He also often collaborates with artists that want to convert to digital art in particular for VR and AI technologies. His company, Ikonospace develops high-end solutions for museum institutions and art galleries.
Sandra Krmadzhian
Speaker
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Sandra Krmadzhian works as a stage designer in Ukraine, and is a member of the board of the social organisation, "HRONOTOP.UA", director of live shows, developer of virtual studios in Unreal Engine, organiser and supervisor of cultural projects. Architect, Artist (master's degree). Her projects are based on a combination of fields: contemporary technology/fashion/architecture + theatre/opera/production.
Bahdan Khmialnitski
Speaker
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Bahdan Khmialnitski - cultural activist, Belarus national coordinator for EU4Culture programme
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Remapping constellations of cultural actors in emigration: communities, institutions, digital spaces. Case of Belarusian art field.
Mentor
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Sara Culmann is a visual artist, designer and researcher at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam with a current residence in Berlin at the Academy of Arts. She is also teaching animation software at the Prague Media School, an educational institution that supports independent journalism in Eastern Europe.
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Culmann’s research is focusing on game studies, semantics of digital tools and media, as well as historical parallels and intersections. In her artistic work she reflects on the existential impact of the cult of progress, scientific knowledge and information bias with the use of cultural clichés and imprints.
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Sara participated in numerous international exhibitions and projects, including 2021 Radical gaming (HEK, Basel), 2021 Art Encounters Biennial (Timișoara, Romania), 2020 Extemporary: Art out of time (PERMM, Perm and NCCA Arsenal, and several others.
Ksenia Nam
Facilitator
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Ksenia Nam is a new media artist, curator and a graphic designer based in Tbilisi. After studying at Moscow Architectural Institute, she decided to continue exploring other art mediums. She is using AI to try to find the answers to the looming identity crisis of all humanity and existence. She became a member of the Untitled Gallery collective in April 2022.
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Ksenia participated in numerous international exhibitions and projects, including COP 26. Glasgow, Scotland, November 2021; Minute_MAPP. Tokyo, Japan, May 2021; Collapse is Imminent (?) installation, abandoned factory, Moscow, November 2020; Ars Electronica, Internet Yami-Ichi. Linz, Austria, September 20; Urban Solitude exhibition in Hong Kong, May 2022.
Joris Demnard
Speaker
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Joris Demnard is a digital architect and solution provider of 3D, XR, and web solutions for the art and cultural sector. He also often collaborates with artists that want to convert to digital art in particular for VR and AI technologies. His company, Ikonospace develops high-end solutions for museum institutions and art galleries.
Sandra Krmadzhian
Speaker
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Sandra Krmadzhian works as a stage designer in Ukraine, and is a member of the board of the social organisation, "HRONOTOP.UA", director of live shows, developer of virtual studios in Unreal Engine, organiser and supervisor of cultural projects. Architect, Artist (master's degree). Her projects are based on a combination of fields: contemporary technology/fashion/architecture + theatre/opera/production.
Bahdan Khmialnitski
Speaker
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Bahdan Khmialnitski - cultural activist, Belarus national coordinator for EU4Culture programme
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Remapping constellations of cultural actors in emigration: communities, institutions, digital spaces. Case of Belarusian art field.
Marlene Bart
Mentor
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Marlene Bart is a Berlin based, internationally renowned artist working at the intersection of natural history, anatomy and visual art.
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Bart deals with the combination of scientific and artistic visual language. The use of multimedia techniques (printmaking, artist books, sculptures, taxidermy, installations, VR animations) allows her to combine a wide range of image content in a playful way, to refer to the historical dimension of scientific publications, and to put them in a contemporary context.
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She studied "Fine Art" under professor Wolfgang Ellenrieder at the University of Arts in Brunswick (HBK), the Villa Arson (École nationale supérieure d’art) in Nice and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. She holds a Masters degree in "Art in Context" from the College of Fine Arts Berlin (UdK), was a tutor at the University of Arts in Brunswick (HBK) between 2017-2020 and at the Bauhaus- University in Weimar between 2020-2021. She is the editor of the transdisciplinary book series "Atlas of Databodies" published by Verlag.
Daria Rzhavtseva
Speaker
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Daria Rzhavtseva is an artist relations manager and an assistant to the executive director at Snark.art. and a business development manager at Fuelarts Art+Tech & NFT startups accelerator.
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Daria's experience includes organizing the first NFT exhibition at the Hermitage museum, participation in the preparation of the first dedicated acceleration program for Art+Tech & NFT startups and speaking at the NFT Summit in Lisbon.
Artists at Risk
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Artists at Risk (AR) is a non-profit organisation active at the intersection of human rights and the arts (501c-3 equivalency). Since 2013, AR has built a mondial network of artistic institutions, non-profits, municipalities, states and international organisations to assist, relocate and fund artists who are at risk of persecution or oppression, or are fleeing war or terror. Prior to the war in Ukraine, AR hosted artists in 26 locations in 19 countries globally. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, over 500 hosting institutions have joined the platform across Europe in order to relocate and support the over 1850 art practitioners at risk from Ukraine. Parallel to this, over 400 dissident artists and cultural workers from Russia and Belarus, at risk of persecution, imprisonment or worse, have applied for support. Artists and hosts have registered directly via our forms found on our front page. Applications have also reached us via important partnerships with UNESCO, Goethe Institute, the Swedish SWAN network and other national and regional residency networks such as in Italy and Spain.
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Artists at Risk (AR) has assisted persecuted, threatened or imprisoned artists during its almost 10 years of activity. Among many prominent figures, Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina and Nadya Tolokonnikova, Vietnamese pop-star Mai Khoi, Egyptian poet Galal El-Behairy and Kurdish curator Barıs Seyitvan have been part of AR programmes and campaigns.
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www.artistsatrisk.org
Yasha Maksimenko
Speaker
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Yasha is a part of OSSS, an Ukrainian—Russian art group founded by Yasha Maksimenko and Boris
Ustrica.
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The team practices sculpture, light and video. The materials of the work are found objects
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OSSS explores urban spaces and melt the found material into a new state. Connecting the fragments, at the same time, local communities and spaces are forming piece by piece
Mentor
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Marlene Bart is a Berlin based, internationally renowned artist working at the intersection of natural history, anatomy and visual art.
✳
Bart deals with the combination of scientific and artistic visual language. The use of multimedia techniques (printmaking, artist books, sculptures, taxidermy, installations, VR animations) allows her to combine a wide range of image content in a playful way, to refer to the historical dimension of scientific publications, and to put them in a contemporary context.
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She studied "Fine Art" under professor Wolfgang Ellenrieder at the University of Arts in Brunswick (HBK), the Villa Arson (École nationale supérieure d’art) in Nice and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. She holds a Masters degree in "Art in Context" from the College of Fine Arts Berlin (UdK), was a tutor at the University of Arts in Brunswick (HBK) between 2017-2020 and at the Bauhaus- University in Weimar between 2020-2021. She is the editor of the transdisciplinary book series "Atlas of Databodies" published by Verlag.
Daria Rzhavtseva
Speaker
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Daria Rzhavtseva is an artist relations manager and an assistant to the executive director at Snark.art. and a business development manager at Fuelarts Art+Tech & NFT startups accelerator.
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Daria's experience includes organizing the first NFT exhibition at the Hermitage museum, participation in the preparation of the first dedicated acceleration program for Art+Tech & NFT startups and speaking at the NFT Summit in Lisbon.
Artists at Risk
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Artists at Risk (AR) is a non-profit organisation active at the intersection of human rights and the arts (501c-3 equivalency). Since 2013, AR has built a mondial network of artistic institutions, non-profits, municipalities, states and international organisations to assist, relocate and fund artists who are at risk of persecution or oppression, or are fleeing war or terror. Prior to the war in Ukraine, AR hosted artists in 26 locations in 19 countries globally. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, over 500 hosting institutions have joined the platform across Europe in order to relocate and support the over 1850 art practitioners at risk from Ukraine. Parallel to this, over 400 dissident artists and cultural workers from Russia and Belarus, at risk of persecution, imprisonment or worse, have applied for support. Artists and hosts have registered directly via our forms found on our front page. Applications have also reached us via important partnerships with UNESCO, Goethe Institute, the Swedish SWAN network and other national and regional residency networks such as in Italy and Spain.
✳
Artists at Risk (AR) has assisted persecuted, threatened or imprisoned artists during its almost 10 years of activity. Among many prominent figures, Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina and Nadya Tolokonnikova, Vietnamese pop-star Mai Khoi, Egyptian poet Galal El-Behairy and Kurdish curator Barıs Seyitvan have been part of AR programmes and campaigns.
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www.artistsatrisk.org
Yasha Maksimenko
Speaker
✳
✳
✳
Yasha is a part of OSSS, an Ukrainian—Russian art group founded by Yasha Maksimenko and Boris
Ustrica.
✳
The team practices sculpture, light and video. The materials of the work are found objects
✳
OSSS explores urban spaces and melt the found material into a new state. Connecting the fragments, at the same time, local communities and spaces are forming piece by piece
Public Events 2022
11.11(fri)
19.00-21.00
FABRIKA, 8 Egnate Ninoshvili St
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Hybrid talk. Digital tools for self-organisation: activists to artists
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Keynote speakers: Anna Shvets arts manager, producer; Sara Culmann visual artist, designer, researcher; Bahdan Khmialnitski cultural activist ; Ivor Stodolsky, Marita Muukkonen (Artists at Risk), Yasha Maksymenko (OSSS).
//moderated by Giorgi Rodionov
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Anna Shvets will talk about the communication and management strategies of the project- production for decentralized teams and communities; Sara Culmann will introduce digital platforms and speak about user statistics, and Internet and game reports; Bahdan Khmialnitski will present the example of the Belarusian art field, and remap constellations of emigrated artists and actors from the cultural sphere of emigration: communities, institutions and digital spaces. The Artists at Risk collective will speak about their own mechanisms for creating networks, art-residencies and supporting infrastructures for artists under pressure. Yasha Maksymenko will be talking about the importance of opening the new residency spaces for the digital artists in exile based on their own experience.
19.00-21.00
FABRIKA, 8 Egnate Ninoshvili St
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Hybrid talk. Digital tools for self-organisation: activists to artists
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Keynote speakers: Anna Shvets arts manager, producer; Sara Culmann visual artist, designer, researcher; Bahdan Khmialnitski cultural activist ; Ivor Stodolsky, Marita Muukkonen (Artists at Risk), Yasha Maksymenko (OSSS).
//moderated by Giorgi Rodionov
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Anna Shvets will talk about the communication and management strategies of the project- production for decentralized teams and communities; Sara Culmann will introduce digital platforms and speak about user statistics, and Internet and game reports; Bahdan Khmialnitski will present the example of the Belarusian art field, and remap constellations of emigrated artists and actors from the cultural sphere of emigration: communities, institutions and digital spaces. The Artists at Risk collective will speak about their own mechanisms for creating networks, art-residencies and supporting infrastructures for artists under pressure. Yasha Maksymenko will be talking about the importance of opening the new residency spaces for the digital artists in exile based on their own experience.
12.11(sat)
19.00-21.00
Untitled Gallery, 1/12 Iunkerta St, Tbilisi
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Artist talk with Artists at Risk and Nika Nikulshina (Pussy Riot),
//moderated by Giorgi Rodionov
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The association, Artists at Risk, will talk about their ten years’ experience organizing residences for artists living in exile, and also about how they support artists in general. One of the association’s programs is located in Tbilisi itself.
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One of the Pussy Riot activists will participate in the artist talk. She will share her experience at the residence she is part of. The panelists will have the opportunity to exchange ideas about their projects and participants are invited to ask questions.
19.00-21.00
Untitled Gallery, 1/12 Iunkerta St, Tbilisi
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Artist talk with Artists at Risk and Nika Nikulshina (Pussy Riot),
//moderated by Giorgi Rodionov
✳
✳
The association, Artists at Risk, will talk about their ten years’ experience organizing residences for artists living in exile, and also about how they support artists in general. One of the association’s programs is located in Tbilisi itself.
✳
One of the Pussy Riot activists will participate in the artist talk. She will share her experience at the residence she is part of. The panelists will have the opportunity to exchange ideas about their projects and participants are invited to ask questions.
13.11(sun)
12.00-15:30
Untitled Gallery, 1/12 Iunkerta St, Tbilisi
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Pitching session
The participants of Culture under Pressure will present the concepts and prototypes which they have developed during the programme.
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During the project, the participants will have time to develop projects which focus on the topics of digital art, digital art management and building a network online. The projects will be presented on Sunday 13th of November. The selected projects will then be funded by Culture Under Pressure. These projects will go on to be realized in 2023.
12.00-15:30
Untitled Gallery, 1/12 Iunkerta St, Tbilisi
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Pitching session
The participants of Culture under Pressure will present the concepts and prototypes which they have developed during the programme.
✳
✳
During the project, the participants will have time to develop projects which focus on the topics of digital art, digital art management and building a network online. The projects will be presented on Sunday 13th of November. The selected projects will then be funded by Culture Under Pressure. These projects will go on to be realized in 2023.