The most popular club in Vladikavkaz

‘Portal’ Club is the most popular locality in Vladikavkaz. Officially, it’s not a club, but rather ‘a creative union’. And this is actually true-it’s a union of creative people, aimed to create a place for many other creative people to socialize.

It all started 2 years ago, when Albert Togoev, an artist, who worked as a watchman at a frozen construction site, invited his friends, also the artists, to paint his lodge.

The construction site, where works were suspended many years ago, is located in the territory of the North Ossetian National Museum. The entire construction site area was soon covered with giant graffiti, predominantly on the national theme.

For example, the entrance to the ‘Portal’ Club is decorated with a huge portrait of Soslan Mouraov, a renowned wood-carver, who contributed to revival of the national Ossetian musical instruments.

But the most important about the ‘Portal’ Club is not the graffiti, but rather the public activity carried out by the ‘creative lab’ members. Namely, they organize:

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• screening of popular science films;
• arts lectures;
• theatrical troupe and musicians’ rehearsals.

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And in the evenings, people just sit and talk around the bonfire outside the ‘Portal’.

But what the ‘Portal’ Club is particularly proud of is the ‘the freelance craftsmen fair’ entitled ‘Hikond’, which is translated from Ossetian as ‘handmade’.

The fair has been organized in the ‘Portal’ Club for the fifth time already, and each time it attracted thousands of people to the ‘Portal’ Club. It is noteworthy that the ‘lab’ member have never received any assistance from the municipal authorities.

The reason this place has become so popular and unique in the whole North Caucasus is probably that it has skilfully managed to combine modern art with the national requirements.

Though it is facing some troubles now. In December 2016, the North Ossetian government announced about resumption of the construction works in the National Museum building, thus posing risk to the ‘Portal’ Club.

The guys, in turn, developed a plan on the youth club’s integration into the museum. Under their plan, ‘Portal’ could become the modern arts department at the National Museum of North Ossetia.

However, their proposal was sharply rejected by the Museum administration. A farewell ‘Hikond’ fair was held in the ‘Portal’ on March 8. Then the creative union members will leave the construction site. ‘Portal’ Club’s future is still uncertain.