The architectural office of FORMA and the public organization "Museum of Modern Art" have developed the project Emergency Art Shelter - temporary housing for Ukrainian artists, which is planned to be built near Uzhgorod.

The place will be intended for Ukrainian artists, musicians, architects, and other creators who lost the opportunity to work during the war. They will be provided with the necessary conditions for work and leisure.

The ammunition for the soldier is a tool for protection, the dugout is a shelter. The artist’s ammunition is their space for creativity, the weapon is their work. Thousands of artists from different parts of Ukraine had to leave their studios and homes by threatening their lives. They still carry their weapon, but fighting in the war against the occupiers without a secure place to be and work is meaningless and sending the fighter into battle without a bulletproof vest.

Our goal is to protect artists behind the walls and bring their ammunition back. Our goal is to unite them in safe shelters in Ukraine and provide the necessary work conditions. The international media platforms are also a battlefield, and art is an important message that can influence the war course.

The project provides for housing construction with its own infrastructure, designed for up to 24 people, and two galleries. After that, the premises will be expanded to meet the needs of 50-80 people. The project is planned to be developed in other cities of Ukraine in the future.

The architects believe that new construction is a more promising strategy than the use and adaptation of existing buildings, as it will avoid the bureaucracy that will increase the time of the project, prevent interference with the infrastructure of the city, which can be used for military and humanitarian needs and to accommodate migrants, and will also ensure the availability of its own infrastructure for possible future needs of the project network.

After the war, Emergency Art Shelter plans to continue its activities and programme aimed at systemic support of culture in Ukraine.

The project partners are Bettter.Community, MistoDiya NGO, Stockholm Studios and the Pavilion of Culture.