Sklad (“Depot”) is currently the only contemporary art space in Abkhazia. Opened in autumn 2015 in Sukhum (the capital), its goal is to create a space devoted to artistic interventions, debates, screenings and workshops with the aim of fostering cultural and civic dialogue and sharing. SKLAD is an important platform for developing and showcasing work of emerging Abkhaz artists. SKLAD is also the only institution in Abkhazia that regularly organizes educational programs in the field of contemporary art.

Abkhazia is a historically multiethnic region between the Black Sea and the Caucasus mountains populated by Abkhazians, Georgians, Russians, Armenians, Greeks, Jews and several other minorities, the region was integrated into the Georgian Republic after the establishment of the Soviet Union. Famous for its coastline and its lush, subtropical climate, it was known as the “Soviet Riviera” and became a major touristic destination. Traditionally it has also been a major supplyer of Soviet markets with tobacco, tea and citrus fruits. Following a brutal war in 1992-93 that left the region in ruins and during which most of the Georgian population fled, Abkhazia unilaterally declared its independence. Years of isolation and embargo followed until 2008 when Russia and a handful of other states recognized the country. Nevertheless, Abkhazia is still largely unrecognized and isolated. Its infrastructure and economy have never recovered from the war. SKLAD's aim to engage contemporary art practices in historical self-reflection as well as to break Abkhazia's isolation through international artistic and cultural exchange makes it a unique institution in the region.

Currently SKLAD occupies 180 sq meters in the factory of Sukhumpribor. Located in a soviet modernist building, Sukhumpribor is legacy of the soviet industrial past and its “Lego” economy. Every stainless-steel ball for any ball-point pen produced in the USSR came from Sukhumpribor. During the course of the 1992-1993 war, the workers of the factory organized themselves to protect it from looters. Later, they became the first collective to privatize the factory and distributed a share to every former worker. Today Sukhumpribor is mainly rented out to a big clothing market, several small businesses, SKLAD cultural space and rehearsal studios.