A former pasta factory on 18th Line Street now houses an experimental theater, exhibition halls and artist studios, one of Rostov-on-Don’s more unusual conversions of industrial space into contemporary art territory.
At a glance
Makaronka sits at #10, 18 Line Street, beside the 16th LINE art gallery that oversees it. It opened as an art center on January 31, 2013. The name itself nods to its past: “makaronka” is a colloquial diminutive tied to the building’s history as a macaroni factory.
History
Before the art center existed, the building was simply a pasta factory. Its transformation began in earnest in August 2012, when the Street Art Festival took over the site. Around 50 street art and graffiti artists participated, among them Kirill Who and Misha Most, alongside guests from Ukraine, Belarus and Germany. Lecturers from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Perm and Tashkent gave talks on weekends throughout the festival. That groundwork led to Makaronka’s formal inauguration the following January. The opening night paired a documentary thrash-musical, The Father, directed by Yuri Muravitsky, with an exhibition by the art group SIEVE. Screenings of non-commercial film curated by Maxim Berezin began the next month. By August 2013, Makaronka had joined 16th LINE gallery to stage the Cooperation Territory Festival, a contemporary art event for the whole city.
What you see
The building retains the bones of its industrial origin. Exhibition space, an auditorium, and separate studios for working artists occupy what was once factory floor. Little pretense of polish remains here. The rawness is deliberate, giving performances and installations room to feel unfinished, experimental, occasionally confrontational.
Cultural significance
Makaronka has become a testing ground for Rostov-on-Don’s independent art scene. Its programming since 2013 has included the “Territory of Joint Action” festival, SIEVE’s “Protocol of One Walk,” and later solo shows such as Nikolay Kovalenko’s “Colour of the Sound” in 2016 and Alexander Kislyakov’s “Eternal Values. Ekorsha.” in 2017. The center’s link to 16th LINE gallery situates it within a broader regional push to bring contemporary and street art into the mainstream cultural conversation, outside Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Key facts
- Location: #10, 18 Line Street, Rostov-on-Don, Russia
- Opened: January 31, 2013
- Prior use: pasta factory
- Affiliated with: 16th LINE art gallery
- Facilities: experimental theater, exhibition area, artist studios, auditorium
Practical information & getting there
Makaronka is located on 18th Line Street in Rostov-on-Don, next to the 16th LINE gallery. Programming has historically included theater performances, film screenings and rotating exhibitions, so it’s advisable to check current listings before visiting. As an active venue tied to a working gallery, opening times and events vary by season and production schedule.
Sources & resources
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