Art Space Connect is a 2020 collaboration of Internationale Gesellschaft der Bildenden Künste (IGBK), GeoAIR (Tbilisi) and Centrala Berlin.

As cooperation partners, we want to strengthen the exchange with and amongst independent art initiatives and artist-run spaces in Central and Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, asking:

• What is the specific profile of independent art initiatives and artist-run spaces and how do they develop and reach their audience?
• What is the status quo of international exchange amongst those initiatives? Which structures are relevant and how does international cooperation help?
• What are the regional perspectives and political frameworks to consider?
• What will mobility come down to in the aftermath of the COVID19-crisis, which new ways of digital and regional audience development will remain?
• How do we find creative and alternative ways to support and finance independent art initiatives and artist run spaces in these countries and the international exchange amongst them? What are the new tools and solutions for support?

Art Space Connect conference on 06 and 07 November 2020 in Berlin

The final conference of Art Space Connect will take place in Berlin on 06 and 07 November 2020, with international guests joining us digitally and in Berlin.
At this event we are guests of the Netzwerk freier Berliner Projekträume und-Initiativen at KUNSTPUNKT BERLIN.
Join us on 06 November from 13.30-18.00h CET and on 07 November 2020 from 14.00-16.00h CET via Live-Stream or Zoom.
Find the link to the live stream on the conference day on the IGBK frontpage.
If you want to join us via Zoom and for more direct exchange, register here, we will send you all details per e-mail on the morning of the event.
There is also a Zoom workshop taking place with a limited amount of participants on 07 November 2020 from 11.00-13.00h CET. Register here for the workshop.

"What's up with international mobility today?" - 2nd digital talk of Art Space Connect on 03 October 2020 at 2pm CET, in collaboration with Leipzig based LindeNOW Festival

Alicja Kaczmarek from Centrala Birmingham met digitally with the armenian curator Anna Kamay, the artist Ara Petrosyan (a.o. Artlabyerevan) and with Marie Le Sourd from the Cultural Mobility Information Network On the Move.The discussion focussed amongst others on the current conditions for the international mobility of artists and independent art initiatives. More documentation material will follow soon.

This event was a cooperation with the Leipzig based art space festival LindeNOW 2020, which took place digitally this year.
A recording of the talk was streamed online as part of the LindeNOW festival on 04 October 2020 at 2pm CET. More information on the festival website from mid-September on.

View a recording of the conversation amongst Anna Kamay, Ara Petrosyan, Marie Le Sourd and Alicja Kaczmarek here: 

The IGBK and its projects are funded by the German Commissioner for Culture and media and by the Kulturstiftung der Länder

Opening talk on 04 July 2020, alongside the IGBK annual delegates meeting

On 04 July 2020 the opening discussion of Art Space Connect took place. The talk was part of the digital IGBK delegates' meeting 2020.
In a discussion moderated by Sophia Tabatadze (GeoAIR), Tinatin Gurgenidze (Tbilisi Architecture Biennal) and Dr. Marika Kuźmicz (Arton Foundation/ Warsaw) reported on current digitization projects and audience strategies, on international cooperation and on the financing structures of independent art initiatives. This was followed by a short question and answer session with the participants.
Introduction: Marcel Noack (IGBK board member)

View some notes from the opening talk (PDF)

View a recording of the conversation amongst Tinatin Gurgenidze, Dr. Marika Kuźmicz and Sophia Tabatadze here: 

The IGBK and its projects are funded by the German Commissioner for Culture and media and by the Kulturstiftung der Länder

IGBK was founded in 1957 as the German National Committee of the International Association of Art (IAA), an NGO in official partnership with UNESCO. IGBK unites Germany's three most important artist associations (BBK, Deutscher Künstlerbund and GEDOK) and represents more than 14,000 visual artists in Germany. It engages in European networks such as Culture Action Europe and On The Move and advises artists on questions of international mobility. Furthermore, IGBK organizes symposia on the international conditions and perspectives of contemporary art. Marcel Noack (BBK) and Moira Zoitl (Deutscher Künstlerbund) from IGBK are the projects leads for “Art Space Connect”.

GeoAIR was founded in 2003 in Tbilisi/ Georgia by Sophia Tabatadze (director). It organizes and supports international exchange projects by bringing together artists/curators from different cultural backgrounds and finding relevant contexts for them to work in. GeoAIR has three interconnected directions: collaborative cultural projects, self-directed residency program, and Archidrome – Contemporary Art Archive. GeoAIR constantly develops its activities to be more research-based, inclusive and engaged in the specificity of the given environment. In its interdisciplinary curatorial projects priority is given to socially engaged projects in which, through close collaboration of local artists, audiences and communities, they share experiences and ideas.

Centrala Berlin is a new association for Central and Eastern European art based in Berlin established as branch of Centrala in Birmingham (UK). Set up in 2014, Centrala Birmingham has gone onto establish itself as a nationally and internationally recognized centre for Central and Eastern European art and artists. Centrala is a powerful advocate for social integration, bringing together diverse audiences to share, explore, debate and connect with high-quality art and events. Berenika Partum, Alicja Kaczmarek and Agata Lisiak are co-founders and directors of Centrala Berlin.