Chicory
Status: partly completed
Client: Garage Museum of Contemporary Art
2020 – 2021
Zheleznogorsk, Kursk region
Area: 210 m2
Architect: Maria Serova
Project manager: Arina Nesterova
Contractor: Horomyhaty
Photos provided by Garage Museum of Contemporary Art
The project eventually to become Chicory, the Centre for Contemporary Art in Zheleznogorsk, was launched in 2016 thanks to Alexandra Dorofeeva and Edward Dushny’s enthusiasm and commitment. In this small industrial town, it instantly made its mark as a creative breakthrough.
It all started as a biennale of urban art. As there was no affordable and modern venue available, first educational events and art projects were held in the house belonging to Alexandra’s grandfather. The Soviet building constructed in 1967 first hosted a canteen, then a bakery, and since the 1990s it was standing empty.
The place felt so attractive to new residents that it was chosen to accommodate the centre for contemporary art on a regular basis.
The Institution of the Year nomination at CosMoscow exhibition 2020 marked the beginning of collaboration with Garage Museum of Contemporary Art and Art, Science and Sport Charity Fund. The organisations lent a helping hand in the building renovation and landscaping the surrounding area and as a result, the refurbished Chicory Centre for Contemporary Art was opened in Zheleznogorsk in the spring of 2021.
The one-storey building has retained all its bearing walls, while the partitions and nonbearing walls have been demolished. This way the overall structure of the Soviet-time house was conserved and yet customised for new centre’s objectives.
The Chicory space comprises three exhibition halls, a multipurpose library / lecture room and an entrance area with a coffee shop and reception. The toilets and cloakroom are located in a separate module, painted lilac, a signature colour of the centre, chosen to match the shade of chicory blossom.
The interior features authentic elements remaining from the bakery and the canteen, such as wall fragments with ceramic tiles and peeling plaster, as well as a painted niche preserved from one of the exhibitions. While designing one inclusive space, it seemed unviable to keep the granite slab floors in the interior but they were carefully removed to give them new life in the backyard.
The project eventually to become Chicory, the Centre for Contemporary Art in Zheleznogorsk, was launched in 2016 thanks to Alexandra Dorofeeva and Edward Dushny’s enthusiasm and commitment. In this small industrial town, it instantly made its mark as a creative breakthrough.
It all started as a biennale of urban art. As there was no affordable and modern venue available, first educational events and art projects were held in the house belonging to Alexandra’s grandfather. The Soviet building constructed in 1967 first hosted a canteen, then a bakery, and since the 1990s it was standing empty.
The place felt so attractive to new residents that it was chosen to accommodate the centre for contemporary art on a regular basis.
The Institution of the Year nomination at CosMoscow exhibition 2020 marked the beginning of collaboration with Garage Museum of Contemporary Art and Art, Science and Sport Charity Fund. The organisations lent a helping hand in the building renovation and landscaping the surrounding area and as a result, the refurbished Chicory Centre for Contemporary Art was opened in Zheleznogorsk in the spring of 2021.
The one-storey building has retained all its bearing walls, while the partitions and nonbearing walls have been demolished. This way the overall structure of the Soviet-time house was conserved and yet customised for new centre’s objectives.
The Chicory space comprises three exhibition halls, a multipurpose library / lecture room and an entrance area with a coffee shop and reception. The toilets and cloakroom are located in a separate module, painted lilac, a signature colour of the centre, chosen to match the shade of chicory blossom.
The interior features authentic elements remaining from the bakery and the canteen, such as wall fragments with ceramic tiles and peeling plaster, as well as a painted niche preserved from one of the exhibitions.
While designing one uninterrupted space, it seemed unviable to keep the granite slab floors in the interior but they were carefully removed to give them new life in the backyard.