Vorota Art Space

Since 2013, a non-profit self-governing cultural center for the development of the arts and the local community, Vorota constantly hosts exhibitions of various cultural events: lectures, discussions, workshops, creative meetings, cinematography screening, concerts.

Vorota Art space is the main social project of the regional public organization of Kaliningrad «Union of Photo Artists». Vorota present opportunities for active self-development of urban dwellers through such projects as Double Look project, Kantian Traditions in the Cultural Space of Kaliningrad, the PhotoON Festival of Photography and Media Art, and X-change Berlin-Kaliningrad exhibition lab.

Yuri Seliverstov and Alexey Shchagin, who came up with the concept and founded Vorota art space, revitalized the concept with the help of the community and laid the ideological foundation for the art space as a socially oriented and accessible platform for citizens. Both died tragically in 2015. Since 2018, after a number of troubles caused by the tragedy, the Kaliningrad Union of Photo Artists continues to work on its mission at the Zakheim Gate. By the end of 2021, more than 500 events and more than 70 exhibitions have been held at the Vorota. The entrance is free, no tickets, working from nine in the morning to nine in the evening, seven days a week. The management and administration is carried out on a volunteer basis by members of the Union of Photographers.

The economy of the art space is formed from targeted donations and income for the provision of services for organizing events, the development of the infrastructure of the facility — from grants attracted for projects’ organization.