Established in 2016, Hošek Contemporary runs a space on a historical Berlin-based boat, hosting hundreds of art exhibitions, performances and experimental sound events. The gallery is now facing a new critical challenge: after a significant rent increase, the landlord is selling the ship. To preserve this unique cultural venue in Berlin’s art scene, the team is aiming to purchase the boat and reaching out for support, to ensure it remains an open space for art, culture and the surrounding community.

Dear Friends, Dear Supporters,

Many of you know us, we are Hošek Contemporary, a team of art enthusiasts, active in the Berlin scene since 2016. We’ve been running our art gallery and performance space on a historical river barge since 2018, slowly developing the space without any external funding.

We’ve organised hundreds of exhibitions, hosted performances and worked with beautiful and inspiring people. In parallel we’ve run a weekly improvised and experimental sound event, which has brought even more meaningful connections into our lives.

All this work has not been able to financially sustain us, but we’ve done it with our hearts, always believing we’re on the right path. The community which has organically formed around us and the boat has kept us going, even in harder times.

Today, we are facing a new challenge. After severely raising the rent, our landlord has decided to sell the ship, meaning that we would lose our space. The current asking price is 120 000 €. After a lot of thinking, many sleepless nights and countless discussions, we’ve decided to take a chance: we are trying to buy the boat and fight to secure our venue for the future.

We are now asking for your support, so we can continue providing a space for art, culture and for all the people who want to enjoy and share these things. In other words, a refuge for you and for us.

Now anchored in Berlin's historical harbour, the boat was built in 1910. For years, it played a significant role in Berlin, as it was used for transporting coal into the city. The 58-meter-long ship named MS Heimatland, meaning “homeland”, first served for cultural purposes in 2002. Due to its rich past, we feel that this old boat belongs to Berlin, where it should be cared for while remaining an open space for the public.

Thank you!

Hošek Contemporary Team