Eastern Balkans Institute of Art and Architecture

07/04/2026

We are pleased to welcome the second resident in the Creative Compass Georgia (CCG) program in April 2026. CCG is a four–year EU–funded project implemented and co-funded by Goethe-Institut Georgien.

Sophio Tsertsvadze is an emerging multimedia artist and creative writer from Gori in the Shida Kartli region, currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Art History at Ilia State University. Since 2020, she has been developing a practice that blends creative writing with visual storytelling, photography, and collage, exploring the interplay between language and image. Her work includes “Wyurvili,” an ongoing Instagram-based project featuring emotionally charged short texts and experimental visual
compositions, as well as community-oriented initiatives through Gori Art House and projects promoting sustainability, such as “Herba,” which creates plantable paper art products. She has also coordinated activist art workshops and collaborative projects aimed at engaging youth in civic and creative participation.

Within the International Study Visit Programme, Sophio’s learning goals focus on expanding her creative writing and multimedia skills, experimenting with new narrative forms and techniques, and exploring how artistic practices can intersect with social and environmental impact. She aims to learn from international creative spaces about organizing collaborative projects, fostering community engagement, and sustaining cultural initiatives. Additionally, she seeks to build an international
network of young artists, exchange ideas, and gain inspiration for innovative approaches that combine artistic experimentation with activism and sustainability. The knowledge and experience gained will be applied to her work at Gori Art House and her own projects, enabling her to design impactful workshops, develop creative networks, and strengthen her role as a writer and multimedia artist committed to both personal growth and community development.

About the project:

Creative Compass Georgia empowers cultural and creative industries across regions in Georgia, contributing to enhancing the socio-economic environment of the country. The project focuses on identifying and connecting local creative resources, developing cultural spaces, supporting entrepreneurship, and fostering collaboration across different sectors – both within Georgia and internationally.

Eastern Balkans Institute for Art and Architecture is part of a network of 17 partner organizations from the EU, the UK, and IPA countries within the International Study Visit Programme.

04/04/2026

With a substantial delay, we would like to remind ourselves and others of the stay of the fascinating Polish artist Karolina Pawelczyk at our residency last year.

We await her return to the residency for her new performative video work that builds on two earlier works: the video work “Cosmic Grass” (2022), where she repoliticized a late-socialist children's music r***e by stripping away the moralism and infantilization that covered up environmental and economic damage (the work became the subject of a critical study published by University of California Press); and “All I Wanted Was to Break Your Walls”, which used objectophilia (erotic attachment to objects) to ask: can you love a structure designed to crush you?

Karolina’s practice blends official records (documentary formats, archives, legislation) with fiction, speculation, and pop culture. Her works explore how authority is manufactured and performed, tracking dysfunction in systems and relationships, as well as the delusions around social, political, and technological failures. She works across performance, video, installation, speculative storytelling, and political activism. She pursues a practice-led PhD focused on the feral transmission of artworks and their afterlife.

She has been commissioned by Humboldt Forum Berlin, MoMA Warsaw, presented at Zachęta National Gallery, and was artist-in-residence and co-directed a theatrical production in Komuna/Warszawa. Pawelczyk carries a professional fluency in corporate and bureaucratic systems, which fuels her practice, and an MFA from Mirosław Bałka's Studio of Spatial Activities.

Photo: Jadwiga Janowska

The residency was supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute

07/01/2026

The Institute is pleased to welcome its first resident in 2026, Gulo Aphkhazava, as part of the Creative Compass Georgia (CCG) – a four year EU-funded project which is implemented and co-funded by Goethe-Institut Georgien.

Gulo is the Director of Innovart Creative School, where she manages the organization and oversees creative and educational programs, including visual arts. Her work focuses on education, creativity, and sustainable community development. During her study visit in Sofia, she will aim to explore best practices in visual arts education, especially drawing-based programs for children and youth. Gulo is particularly interested in how art institutions design creative learning spaces, support young artists, and integrate art education into community and cultural life.

About the project:

Creative Compass Georgia empowers cultural and creative industries across regions in Georgia, contributing to enhancing the socio-economic environment of the country. The project focuses on identifying and connecting local creative resources, developing cultural spaces, supporting entrepreneurship, and fostering collaboration across different sectors – both within Georgia and internationally.

Eastern Balkans Institute for Art and Architecture is part of a network of 17 partner organizations from the EU, the UK, and IPA countries within the International Study Visit Programme.

13/10/2025

We are pleased to have hosted in our residency Leipzig-based feminist artist and researcher Marina Vinnik.

Specializing in the intersections of gender studies, art history, and feminist theory, Marina Vinnik holds a Diploma in Documentary Film from the Moscow Film School (VGIK), an MA in Intermedia Arts from the Leipzig Academy of Fine Arts (HGB), and a PhD from the University of Leipzig, where her dissertation focused on the roles of women artists in the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and modern Russia. Alongside her academic work, she has taught courses on cinematic approaches to space and feminist criticism at the Universities of Leipzig and Weimar. Her publications include articles on feminist museology, feminist theory, and the self-representation of women painters, as well as feminist approaches to religion and cultural heritage—demonstrating a consistent engagement with feminist thought and interdisciplinary perspectives.

During her stay, hosted by Credo Bonum Foundation Gallery, she presented her two ongoing projects: the book Object-Oriented Bauhaus and the short documentary film The Northwind and the Sun. The artist talk brought these two projects into dialogue, inviting the audience to reflect on the many ways in which feminist thought can reshape histories.

02/02/2025

23/12/2024

We would like to introduce our last resident for 2024 – Celeste Hsin Hsin Tsai, a Taipei-born, London-based “part-time” artist and digital product designer with a background in graphic design, and art direction. She founded SIIXX to serve a global clientele, offering services in graphic design, UI/UX product design, and branding. During her time at the residency, she facilitated an AMA community called “Confused Girl” and also worked on her newest project Grieft, an innovative grief-support app.

Grieft is an approach to providing emotional support and promoting unity among individuals going through the grieving process. The app would incorporate an AI chatbot for empathetic emotional support, guidance practices, and scheduling counseling. The empathetic voice interface not only provides a supportive, therapeutic outlet for processing grief but can also leverage the user's interactions to generate personalized memorial content such as a unique song or portrait that captures the essence of their loved ones. In that way, it becomes a holistic experience that addresses both the emotional support and the creative expression of grief.

“In recent years, many of my friends and family, including myself, have experienced difficult times. At times, when our loved ones lose something or someone important to them that's never coming back, we may find ourselves unable to be there for them physically or provide timely support. Sometimes, we just don't know how which can leave us feeling helpless. Reflecting on what my skills can do, I've decided to build Grieft, which I envision as a supportive friend who can be there for you when needed, providing strength in your journey.”

Let’s also support Celeste in her journey as she is continuing to explore the Balkans by moving to Belgrade after two-months of residency in Sofia! Good luck, and thank you for all the care to Ellika and Femi, and the amazing cooking!! You will be missed.

And happy holidays to everyone with a warm Balkan salute!