Exactly one year ago, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art first opened the doors of its new home to the public. Since then, Garage has organized 19 exhibitions, which have been visited by over 600,000 people.
We have also launched our inclusive programs and international publishing programs, and a wide range of public events, including the fifth international conference for art professionals. To celebrate our first anniversary in the new building and open the summer season, the Garage team has prepared a special program of exhibitions, readings, workshops, lectures, tours, and architecture walks inspired by Garage history.
The Modernist building, formerly occupied by the Vremena Goda (Seasons of the Year) restaurant—popular in the 1960s and later abandoned for 20 years—was reconstructed by Rem Koolhaas and OMA, an international leader in urban planning and cultural analysis. With 5,400 square meters spread across three floors, the building has five exhibition spaces, a glass room, an auditorium, a kids’ room, a bookshop, and a café.
Garage’s birthday celebrations will begin on June 10 with the opening of two exhibitions: Garage, Archived, devoted to the history of the building and the institution itself, and Urs Fischer’s Small Axe—the Swiss artist’s first solo exhibition in Russia. Apart from presenting sculpture and installations by the acclaimed artist, Garage invites the audience to take part in the making of a clay landscape on Garage Square in front of the building as part of Urs Fischer’s YES project.
On June 10, GARAGE cardholders are invited to attend a special event on Garage Rooftop: the view of Moscow at sunset and a cocktail during the evening DJ set by artist Aidan Salakhova.
June 11 will be devoted to poetry readings, which will provide insight into unknown episodes in the lives of Russian contemporary artists of the last 60 years, and a chance to hear some of their writings from Garage Archive read by theater actors. On June 12, Joseph Backstein, George Kiesewalter, and Igor Makarevich will take part in a round table discussion on Moscow Conceptualism, followed by a jazz concert.
Our youngest visitors are invited to take part in free weekend Open Workshops, explore the kids’ menu in our café and the children’s book section in Garage Bookshop.
Visitors can expect gifts and souvenirs as well as special dishes in Garage Café from our chef Ilya Shalev throughout the three-day celebration.
A special edition of Garage Gazette with detailed descriptions of Garage’s current and future projects and an account of the Museum’s everyday life is published for the anniversary.
In June 2015, Garage published the first edition of Garage Gazette to mark the Museum’s move to its permanent home in Gorky Park. The edition is available online.
We invite everyone to celebrate Garage’s birthday with us by taking part in the special events, visiting the exhibitions, or sending us a birthday message on social media with the hashtag #garagebirthday.
Visitors will be able to see Urs Fischer’s Small Axe, Viktor Pivovarov’s The Snail’s Trail, Rashid Johnson’s Within Our Gates, Mauro Restiffe’s Post-Soviet Russia 1995/2015, and Garage, Archived, and attend the public events.
