Contemporary Art in an Alien Context: Building Up a Self-organized Space in Contemporary Abkhazia

Abstract

SKLAD (depot) is a cultural centre in the post-war town of Sukhum/i in the de facto state of Abkhazia founded in 2015. It is the first local initiative to engage with contemporary art. Its goal is to foster international connections, support local artistic initiatives and strengthen civil society in challenging contexts of isolation and post-conflict trauma. In this article, the initiators take a look back and analyze how SKLAD became a learning tool to get to know the place they live in better.