Garage will move to a new location in Gorky Park, Moscow from 2012 to
develop and regenerate a number of temporary and permanent spaces.
The first phase of its program in the park will launch in summer 2012 in a
temporary pavilion designed by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban.
The second phase in Gorky Park includes a new temporary home designed by Rem
Koolhaas’ OMA. Due to be completed in 2013, the space will be a renovation of
the famous 1960s Vremena Goda (Seasons of the Year) restaurant, a prefabricated
concrete structure that has been derelict for more than two decades. OMA’s
design for the 5,400 square meter building includes exhibition galleries on two
levels, creative center for children, shop, café, auditorium and offices. The
design preserves original soviet-era elements – including a large mosaic, and
decorative tiles and brick – while incorporating a range of innovative
architectural and curatorial devices. OMA is collaborating on the project with
the young Russian practice Form Bureau.
During the third phase of development, Garage plans to develop an 8,500 square
meter hexagonal pavilion in the park. This historic 1920s structure, which
consists of six sections built around a central courtyard, was first
constructed to house the first All-Union Agricultural Exhibition, but later
became a pre-war exhibition space for soviet artists. The development will
become one of the most important non-profit international contemporary art
sites in Moscow, with international standard gallery facilities and areas
dedicated to education and learning.
Gorky Park
Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure is a public park in central Moscow.
Opened in 1928, the park was named after Maxim Gorky (1868-1936), a Soviet
author and political activist who pioneered Socialist Realism. Today, the park
extends over 300 acres along the Moskva River and across from the Park Kultury
Metro Station.
Gorky Park was planned by a team that included Constructivist architect
Konstantin Melnikov. The park was created from a combination of the Neskuchny
Garden and the old Golitsyn Hospital. Upon its foundation in 1928, the park was
the first of its kind in the Soviet Union and later became a prototype for the
creation of many other parks across the country.
