Photos from the Conference
On 7–9 October 2026, Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgia State University hosted the 19th International Conference of Art Researchers, “Culture on the Threshold of Change,” with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Georgia.
This year's conference programme featured 65 papers presented by 66 researchers, including 14 international participants. Over three days, the conference brought together 12 thematic sessions, with representatives from 9 countries and 25 educational, research, and cultural institutions, including 15 Georgian and 10 international institutions.
Georgian participating institutions included Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire, Apollon Kutateladze Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, the Giorgi Chubinashvili National Research Centre for Georgian Art History and Heritage Preservation, the Korneli Kekelidze Georgian National Centre of Manuscripts, Ilia State University, and other institutions.
International participants represented the Institute of Art Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the National University of Theatre and Film “I. L. Caragiale” in Bucharest, Hasan Kalyoncu University (Türkiye), the Institute of the Arts Barcelona (Spain), Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography (Armenia), Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, and other academic institutions.
The conference was held in a hybrid format, combining in-person and online participation. Among the international guests who travelled to Tbilisi to attend the conference were Bilge Kalkavan and Professor Bülent Bahri Küçükerdoğan from Hasan Kalyoncu University (Türkiye), and Narine Sargsyan from Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography (Armenia). Other international researchers joined the sessions remotely. This format facilitated broader international participation and professional exchange among researchers from different countries.
The conference covered a wide range of disciplines, including film studies, theatre studies, art history, musicology, dance studies, arts management, and cultural tourism. The papers addressed issues related to cultural heritage, historical and contemporary artistic processes, cultural identity, and transformations influenced by new technologies and digital environments. Particular attention was given to changes taking place across different artistic disciplines and their interpretation within historical and contemporary contexts.
The opening ceremony featured the presentation of the new issue of the international scholarly journal International Journal of Arts and Media Researches, No. 6(16), 2026, “Art in the Context of Time.” The journal was published in both print and electronic formats. This year's issue introduced a blind peer-review system, assigned Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to articles, and implemented improvements to the presentation and citation of scholarly publications on the journal's website. These developments contribute to strengthening the journal's international academic standards and increasing its visibility.
The conference book of abstracts was also published, presenting the main research topics and scholarly questions addressed by the participants.
The conference attracted public and media attention. Rustavi 2 television dedicated a special news report to the event, highlighting its activities and international significance.
The presentations and discussions held over the three days contributed to the exchange of new research findings, the sharing of methodological approaches, and the strengthening of professional connections among scholars from different fields of the arts. The conference once again demonstrated the importance of integrating research on Georgian art and culture into the international academic community.
The outcomes of the conference provide a foundation for future scholarly publications, collaborative research initiatives, and the further development of international academic cooperation.
In 2027, Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film Georgia State University will host the 20th anniversary International Conference of Art Researchers.