Rvuli: Independent Art Spaces and the Critique of “Art Criticism” in Georgia

This call, issued in partnership with AICA, positions criticism not as a neutral descriptive act but as a contested practice whose institutional conditions and blind spots warrant examination. The focus on independent art spaces in Georgia is both specific and expansive: it invites writers to consider how these spaces operate under particular pressures, what they make possible, and how criticism engages—or fails to engage—them. The scope is international, and the terms are transparent: no submission fee, eight articles selected for publication, and a €120 honorarium per selected author. The selected writers will receive international visibility through AICA's networks and access to two free online webinars. These are concrete provisions, not vague promises of exposure, and they signal an interest in supporting critical work that is rigorous, situated, and aware of its own conditions of production. The curatorial vision is deliberately reflexive. Rather than treating art criticism as a service to artists or institutions, the call asks writers to scrutinize the infrastructures, economies, and politics that shape both independent art spaces and the discourse around them. The resulting articles will contribute to a more nuanced understanding of Georgia's art scene while also advancing the broader conversation about what criticism can and should do.