The SO – IL-designed 21,000 square foot multi-building “art campus” in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is set to open on June 5th, 2021, with construction projected to conclude by May 2021. Serving as the Amant Foundation’s new headquarters, the complex will host exhibitions, public events, archival projects, performances, and residency programs.
Comprised of four structures connected by walkways and public courtyards, including a performance space, two galleries, a cafe/bookstore, and four studios, the campus is located in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Centered on flexibility, the research and artistic platform takes on an interdisciplinary program. Designed by architectural firm SO – IL as an “art campus,” the Amant complex is both a new landmark and seamless addition to the area. Generating spaces dedicated to moving images and live art, the project allows internal networking of activities while connecting, spatially, with the dynamics of the surrounding neighborhood.
With the design of the Amant Campus, we introduce a more humane grain and texture to the industrial neighborhood. Both robust and intimate, we believe the complex of buildings will offer an attractive oasis for creative thought and production, as well as an inviting and intriguing environment for visitors. -- SO – IL.
Reinterpreting materials like concrete, brick, and steel, the project was conceived with Amant’s industrial surroundings in mind. The main entrance is located in the center of the intervention at 315 Maujer Street, which houses Amant’s offices and a daylit, 22 ft. tall gallery space. Across the courtyard at 932 Grand Street, what was once a marble shop has been converted into a vast second gallery space spanning over 2,000 square feet, in addition to a cafe and bookstore. To the south at 306 Maujer is a dedicated studio building for residents featuring a large communal meeting area, library, and dining space, encouraging social exchange. Four-daylit studios occupy the floor above. Walkways at the east and west perimeter lead to a second concrete volume housing Géza, an 1800 square foot multipurpose space for performances and screenings.
Amant’s gallery spaces will host three exhibitions in 2021. The first, on view, is the first solo exhibition of Berlin-based artist Grada Kilomba in the United States, the Portuguese artist, writer, and academic of West African descent whose work deals with the difficult legacies of slavery and the colonial past. In the fall, the center will present a new commission by Colombian-Korean artist Gala Porras-Kim, followed by the premiere of a new project titled Towards the New Baroque of Voices by a New York-based filmmaker Manthia Diawara.
