A new space of about 1500 square metres, inside the historical building of the Odessa Champagne Factory, will host artists' workshops for 5 working days and will be opened like a museum during weekends.

The new project of a new cultural institution for a dialogue between art and society was launched by the Institute of Development of Odessa, represented by Vadim Morokhovsky, philanthropist and founder of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Odessa, and Marat Gelman, well-known gallery owner and art dealer.

Why does the city need a strategy? Because actions, if they are not coordinated, do not give the result that our city deserves. So we chose a precise strategy. A city without culture is a desert.

Vadim Morokhovsky

The core activity of the new institution will be the organisation of workshops for 50 painters: 10 from Odessa, 10 from other cities of Ukraine, 30 from other countries: Georgia, Israel, Moldova, Germany, Poland, France, the Czech Republic, and other countries. They plan to start this activity by September/October 2021.

On weekends, the new Odessa space will be opened to the public. The purpose is to cancel the distance between visitors and artists and create an open exhibition space filled with communication and unique art content. The workshops will help to expand the community's knowledge of the painting activity and change their attitude towards art. It will be not like an usual visit to a museum, but rather a contact with the artists during their creative processes, like the difference between a safari to a natural reserve and a visit to the zoo.

And every time it will be new one, because artists change. And it will be possible to communicate with them. It will be a space where people can understand art, not just see.

Marat Gelman

Marat Gelman is an expert of territory development through culture, thanks to the implementation of international art projects, in particular in Perm and Montenegro. He will take advantage of this experience to approach business community and find local and foreign sponsors.