Location

I decided to choose the location for the Contemporary Art and Culture Centre  in Odessa (Ukraine), as this is a city known for its cultural and artistic diversity. There are many museums and theatres but no contemporary art and culture centre. There are also quite small sculpture collections in existing museums.

I also researched people in this area I could dedicate this project to. As I am making a project connected to  contemporary creativity, I decided to choose the person who contributed to the development of contemporary art in Odessa. Alexander Roitburd (1961-2021) was an artist and a director of Fine Arts Museum. During his time as a director, the museum became more active and attracted a wider audience. He organised lectures and culture events, increased the number of exhibitions, invited contemporary artists, posted museum’s life in social media. As a result , he attracted new visitors, especially younger  and made the museum more visible in the city. Also Roitburd actively supported contemporary art in the city and helped to develop it. Many people remember him as a person that changed the life of the museum and contributed to the culture of the city. 

Roitburd’s art was always noticable, often provocative and caused a lot of controversy and discussions. He used irony to rethink traditional ideas and discuss important social issues. Because of his significant influence on the local community and his role in developing contemporary culture, there are now official plans to open a contemporary art museum in his memory. (KyivGallery, 2021)

Also Odessa held a sand festival every summer on the beach and this influenced my choice of location in the city. On the sand festival every person could participate and every participant made a big sand sculpture. I thought that If the Centre was placed not far from the sea, the sand festival could be held there and be a part of a summer outdoor exhibition. This event could give people an opportunity to take part in art activities and make the Centre of Contemporary Art more open and connected to the city.

I looked at several locations near the beaches. These are empty territories and I think they can be used for the project. All these locations are not far from the centre on the city, close to the sea and near Health Trail, which is often a crowded route.

Next I plan to do demographic research in this area of the city. 

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For my project, I chose the location shown in the third (last) picture. This empty site is located near the Botanical Garden which allows to visitors to extend their relaxing time in the garden with a visit to the cultural space. Also it  has access to Frantsuzsky Boulevard and Health Track which are usually crowded and might attract many visitors. 

References

KyivGallery (2021) ‘Oleksandr Roitburd: genius or provocateur?’ Available at: https://kyiv.gallery/en/articles/oleksandr-roitburd-genius-or-provocateur (Accessed: 7 June 2026).