OPEN CALL by rubezh
Entering the Liminal
An exhibition about life within Turkic-Tatar mythology
Open call —
A selection program for artists, photographers, theater groups and any other artists to participate in any art project.
Exhibition at the Sabantuy Festival
Zhuchkin Fest feat RUBEZH at Arsenali Hill
Looking for artists, performers, musicians
Looking for artists, performers, musicians
04.07.2025
The application deadline
07.07.2025
Announcement of the results
20.07.2025
The exhibition in Tbilisi
About the exhibition
Will take place outdoors on July 20 during the Sabantuy festival
Entering the Liminal
An exhibition about life within Turkic-Tatar mythology
When people gather in national diasporas, they inevitably enter a borderland — a liminal state. Physically present on foreign soil, they strive to recreate a sense of home through social rituals: gatherings, celebrations, traditions. This “home” is always different from the real one — idealized, tinged with nostalgia, built on a longing for something shared.
This feeling is especially familiar to peoples without a state of their own, or whose lands became part of another. The sense of liminality can follow them for life, even without emigration.
For someone from a diaspora, home often exists only in the mind. And they place themselves there, too. Such a person becomes a being of the liminal space.
In the mythologies of the Tatars, Bashkirs, and Chuvash — Turkic-speaking peoples of the Volga–Ural region, liminal spaces are inhabited by strange, cunning, and wondrous beings: helpers, villains, or absolute forces.
We invite you to enter this space.
To listen.
To look around.
What do you see?
Who are you here?
Who is beside you?
What is happening?
When people gather in national diasporas, they inevitably enter a borderland — a liminal state. Physically present on foreign soil, they strive to recreate a sense of home through social rituals: gatherings, celebrations, traditions. This “home” is always different from the real one — idealized, tinged with nostalgia, built on a longing for something shared.
This feeling is especially familiar to peoples without a state of their own, or whose lands became part of another. The sense of liminality can follow them for life, even without emigration.
For someone from a diaspora, home often exists only in the mind. And they place themselves there, too. Such a person becomes a being of the liminal space.
In the mythologies of the Tatars, Bashkirs, and Chuvash — Turkic-speaking peoples of the Volga–Ural region, liminal spaces are inhabited by strange, cunning, and wondrous beings: helpers, villains, or absolute forces.
We invite you to enter this space.
To listen.
To look around.
What do you see?
Who are you here?
Who is beside you?
What is happening?
Sabantuy is a traditional festival of the Tatars and Bashkirs, celebrated after the spring sowing. With roots in pre-Islamic rituals, it marks a collective passage from labor to rest, from planting to celebration, both in agricultural and symbolic terms.
Though traditionally held in early summer, we are celebrating it later this year. Being far from Tatarstan, and in a different climate where the agricultural calendar follows its own rhythm — sometimes with several planting cycles — we embrace the deeper spirit of Sabantuy: the joyful pause after you've invested your effort, the moment of transition and renewal.
Festival program
During the day — on a sunny meadow: traditional games, competitions, and a vibrant atmosphere of childhood and summer.
At night — in the beloved ruins: a cultural lecture, screenings of Tatar animation, and a music program.
And, of course, a lot of traditional food and Bugulma!
The festival is held with Zhuchkin Fest.
Though traditionally held in early summer, we are celebrating it later this year. Being far from Tatarstan, and in a different climate where the agricultural calendar follows its own rhythm — sometimes with several planting cycles — we embrace the deeper spirit of Sabantuy: the joyful pause after you've invested your effort, the moment of transition and renewal.
Festival program
During the day — on a sunny meadow: traditional games, competitions, and a vibrant atmosphere of childhood and summer.
At night — in the beloved ruins: a cultural lecture, screenings of Tatar animation, and a music program.
And, of course, a lot of traditional food and Bugulma!
The festival is held with Zhuchkin Fest.
The exhibition participants will be chosen by an expert commission.
Artists from around the world with migrant experience, as well as citizens of Georgia, are invited to participate.
All mediums are accepted: painting, video, digital art, music, sculpture, installations, performances, and others. Even DJ sets are allowed if presented as an artistic statement.
Artists from around the world with migrant experience, as well as citizens of Georgia, are invited to participate.
All mediums are accepted: painting, video, digital art, music, sculpture, installations, performances, and others. Even DJ sets are allowed if presented as an artistic statement.
Be sure to familiarize yourself with the features of Tatar music TAP HERE
Open call —
A selection program for artists, photographers, theater groups and any other artists to participate in any art project.
We are RUBEZH.
We bring together émigré artists.
We believe that every artist deserves a home.
We bring together émigré artists.
We believe that every artist deserves a home.
- WE ARE RUBEZH
An international diaspora of émigré artists. Among us are citizens from 25 countries, living in 30 different locations around the world. Our base is currently in Tbilisi.
Our goal is to help immigrant artists adapt to new conditions, integrate into the local context, and, of course, continue creating art. We organize exhibitions, create shelters and communes, and hold educational and entertainment events.
Learn more about us
Become a volunteer
Help us do our best — from anywhere worldwide.
Q&A
Artists, photographers, sculptors, directors, musicians, DJs and any other people of art. The only condition is the presence of emigrant experience.
Entering the Liminal — an exhibition about life within Turkic-Tatar mythology
Yes, the participant must be over 18 years of age at the time of the show.
No, but if the work involves mounting, then the artist must organize it.
Send the work within the time specified by the organizer, mount and dismount your work, pay for the consumables necessary for placing your work, for example, printing photos, and so on.
It is free of charge.
Will take place outdoors on July 20 during the Sabantuy festival — Tbilisi, Georgia (Sakartvelo).
The works will be presented at the exhibition on the day of the event.
You can contact us by email hello@rubeeeeeeezh.io or message on Telegram @alsu_its_me.