DK Zattere was an experimental cultural centre housed in Palazzo delle Zattere, a historic building overlooking the Giudecca Canal in Venice's Dorsoduro district. Promoted by the V-A-C Foundation, the project took its name from the Russian abbreviation "DK" (Dom Kultury, "house of culture"), drawing inspiration from the Soviet houses of culture of the 1920s places open to everyone, designed to bring together art, education, social life and leisure.
Spread over approximately 2,000 square metres and four floors, half of which were dedicated to exhibition spaces, the building, restored by Alexander Brodsky's studio, offered a multifunctional programme that was entirely free of charge.
An experimental performance area on the ground floor, a film club screening artists' films on the first floor, a library with a reading room, workshops, co-working spaces overlooking the canal, as well as concerts, performances, workshops and dance classes.
The aim was to transform the building from an exhibition venue into a place of everyday life for Venetians not a museum to visit once, but a space to experience regularly.
The programme ran over two seasons (2018–19 and 2019–20).
DK - Zattere V-A-C Foudation
Photo for V-A-C Foundation and Marco Cappelletti