Society and Culture: GES-2 House of Culture opened in Moscow

On December 1, 2021, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin opened the GES-2 House of Culture on Bolotnaya Embankment. The opening ceremony was attended by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and President of V-A-C Foundation for Contemporary Art Leonid Mikhelson.

The GES-2 building on Bolotnaya Embankment was built in 1907 by the architect Vasily Bashkirov and was one of the oldest power plants in Moscow. In 2009, the object was designated as a cultural landmark. In 2014, the building was acquired by the V-A-C Foundation for Contemporary Art. The Foundation, established by Leonid Mikhelson, invited the Renzo Piano Building studio to turn the power plant, which had supplied energy to Moscow city infrastructure for almost a century, into a new cultural space with exhibition areas, author's workshops, studios of artists' residences.

The GES-2 space will host exhibitions and performances, concerts and lectures, film screenings and theatrical shows. Also, the House of Culture will have residences for artists, a playground, a cafe, a shop and a library. The GES-2 House of Culture intends to introduce the general audience to contemporary culture and enable city residents to shape it actively.