About (new): AKKA Project - Connected Through Art

After many enriching years operating as a contemporary art gallery, I have reflected deeply on how to make the most meaningful contribution to the artists and communities I care about. With this in mind, I am transitioning AKKA Project into a new model that feels both more personal and more impactful:
a hybrid platform combining art patronage, research travels, and storytelling.

 

What This New Approach Means

Starting from 2026, AKKA Project will no longer operate as a traditional gallery with a fixed venue or a commercial program.
Instead, it will evolve into a privately funded patronage initiative, dedicated to:

  • discovering and supporting artists through direct financial support
  • funding artistic projects, productions, or residencies
  • travelling, meeting artists, and documenting their work and contexts
  • publishing personal journals, interviews, and visual stories
  • creating meaningful connections between artists, collectors, and institutions
  • participating selectively in art fairs and special collaborations

This shift allows for more freedom, authenticity, and depth—focusing on the stories, journeys, and human relationships that lie at the core of what AKKA Project has always valued.

 

Why This Change?

The commercial gallery model often limits the type of engagement and exploration that truly supports emerging and mid-career African artists. By moving beyond a sales-driven structure, I can:

  • dedicate more time to deep research and on-the-ground artistic discovery
  • highlight important voices through storytelling rather than inventory
  • create sustainable, long-term impact without commercial pressure
  • build an audience that engages with the art for meaning, not only for market value

This transition keeps the mission intact—but gives it room to grow.

 

What You Can Expect Going Forward

In the coming months I will begin rolling out the new platform, including:

  • a refreshed website aligned with this vision
  • a structured journal of travels and artist encounters
  • updates from artists supported through the new patronage model
  • invitations to special events, fairs, and collaborative projects

I would be delighted to keep you informed as this new chapter unfolds.

 

Thank You ❤️

Thank you sincerely for your support and collaboration throughout AKKA Project’s journey so far. I look forward to continuing our relationship in this new, more personal, exploratory, and impact-driven format.

Warm regards,

Lidija Kostic Khachatourian

 
 
About Lidija and Kristian: 
 
After maintaining a primary residence in Dubai for more than 15 years, Lidija, following a fulfilling career as a Swiss Federal Account, decided to make a bold move. She single-handedly initiated a cultural hub promoting artists from the African continent under the AKKA Project name. It was first opened in Dubai (2016) and then quickly expanded into Venice, Italy (2019).
 
Kristian, who called Monrovia, Liberia home for many years in the 1990s and has collected antique and contemporary art, has now unified with Lidija to promote her original project. 
 
Since then, together they have built a great collection of established and emerging talents from the burgeoning African art market, they have explored 18 countries of the vast African continent, enriching themselves, AKKA, their collectors and most importantly, their fellow artists.