Sillamäe opens contemporary art gallery as Narva residency gets upgrades

Sillamäe has opened a contemporary art gallery, while an artists’ residency in Narva has been renovated with support from the Just Transition Fund, ERR reported. The fund contributed more than €500,000 to the two projects combined.

The Sillart gallery, a long-held ambition of Sillamäe artist Eduard Zentšik, was established with support from local businesses and the fund. It occupies the second floor of a former school building in the city centre and features contemporary art from Ida-Viru County.

Zentšik said the gallery aims to attract international attention and become a draw for artists from different countries. Local visitors, he added, can see how art is exhibited in cities such as Berlin and London.

In Narva, renovation work at the artists’ residency included repairs to the roof and replacement of the windows. Coordinator Gleb Kuznetsov said the building is now warmer and more comfortable, and that heating costs are expected to fall.

Kuznetsov said the changes would also improve conditions in the residency’s cinema hall, where visitors previously had to keep their outdoor clothes on because of draughts.