Galerie Trafačka in Vysočany is closing, but it doesn't know where it will move to

Prague - The Trafačka Gallery in its current location in Vysočany is closing. It will relocate in January, and demolition of the building will begin in April. In place of the gallery, a multi-purpose building with apartments and shops will be built within four years. This was reported to ČTK from a plan published in the environmental impact assessment EIA, and it was confirmed by the coordinator of the Trafačka Gallery, Blanka Čermáková. It is still unclear where the gallery will move.
    "For now, we are intensively searching for alternative spaces, but without success," said Čermáková to ČTK.
    The threat of relocation has hovered over the gallery since it began operations in 2006. It was established in the premises of a former electrical substation and was originally supposed to give way to the developer's plans within a year. While the residents of the tenement house have already moved out, the gallery has remained on its site, additionally taking over empty apartments and using them as studios for both Czech and foreign artists. Currently, about forty artists are working here.
    A new residential building will be constructed according to the announcement in EIA on the triangular plot between Českomoravská, Ocelářská, and Kurta Konráda streets. It will include a renovated tenement house that already stands on the site. A ten-story building with 112 apartments and 38 studios, a restaurant, and four shops will be completed. The Prague Property Management will build the project. In the original building, 24 apartments and three studios will remain.
    Demolition is set to begin next April, with construction work starting in July 2016. It is expected to be completed by January 2018.
    Trafačka primarily showcases contemporary Czech artists, whether they are engaged in graffiti, street art, or conceptual art. In addition to the gallery and studios of affiliated authors, there is a large-capacity studio on site open to projects of various kinds, from concerts and fashion shows to theatrical performances and various art festivals.