Byl Center for Contemporary Art, Stary Oskol, Russia

Byl Center for Contemporary Art is the first institution in Belgorodskaya Oblast to support exhibitions and educational and research projects in the sphere of contemporary culture and art.

From fall 2021, the Center functioned as an arts self‑organization united around the idea of creating a cultural space in the building of the former Byl Cinema. At that time, the team worked with municipal and private archives, researching the history of the cinema from the moment it was built in 1979 until today. As well as conducting research, the Center team organized exhibitions and festivals and participated in professional conferences.

On April 19, 2023, the Center opened with municipal status. The first exhibition Don’t Trust Silence, It’s Deceptive, reconstructs memories of the place and the initiatives of cinema staff in the 1990s.

The members of the initiating team of the Center are Nikita Klen, Viktor Zhdanov, Sonya Oreshkina, and Svetlana Kostina. The Center is developing archives on the experimental musical underground in Belgorodskaya Oblast and on contemporary art works by artists from Stary Oskol and other parts of Russia.