"Offside Effect": Tbilisi gets a Triennial

A still from Sami van Ingen, “Just One Kiss: The Fall of Ned Kelly,” 2010

The last days of Documenta may now be upon us (Would-be visitors have until the 16th, though it would appear Kassel may extend viewing time on certain commissions by artists like Walid Raad, Michael Rakovitz and Mark Dion, which the city has recently purchased), but the art world does not have long before a fresh barrage of biennales. This week marks the opening not only of São Paolo,  but of any other number of competing cities: Whitstable, Vilnius, Gwangju… and the list goes on.

Add to this roster Tbilisi. As if the fabled cuisine weren’t enough reason to visit Georgia, today Tbilisi’s Center of Contemporary Art announced it will inaugurate its first ever Triennial in October with “Offside Effect.” Curated by Henk Slager and Wato Tsereteli, the exhibition will introduce a unique format, placing the focus on art education. For starters, there will be four artists in residence: Hito Steyerl, Stephan Dillemuth, Marion von Osten and e-flux’s Anton Vidokle (who will present a project in collaboration with Boris Groys and Katya Degot.) Based at the CAC, the Triennial will feature outside exhibitions, workshops, and a forum, slated for October 19-20, 2012.

“Offside Effect” will run from October 19 – November 20, 2012. For more information, check the website.

While a new entry on the Biennale Calendar, this won’t be the first time Tbilisi has attracted the international art world’s eye. Recently, a group of artists including Tobias Madison, Ei Arakawa, Nik Gambaroff, Kerstin Bratsch and Emanuel Rossetti participated in Tbilisi 6. Read more about that experiment here.

Thomas Julier and Emmanuel Rossetti, Patterns, 2009. Part of “Sculptures in a Public Place,” during Tbilisi 6