The foundation was founded in the village of Mokhnate, from which it got its name. Not far from the border with Belarus, near Belovezhskaya Pushcha, this territory for many centuries of its history was on the border and at different times was a part of different state entities. It was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Commonwealth of Nations, the Kingdom of Prussia, the Russian Empire, and again part of Poland. During the First World War, the region suffered from a mass exodus of the population. The Second World War brought with it German and Soviet occupation.

This region has long been inhabited by the Belarusian national minority, where people speak "their own way" and cultivate their specific ethnic and cultural tradition. This place is again on the border between east and west, where forests are cut down, new fences are built, but also new connections are created.

The MOCHNARTE Foundation sets itself the task of inventing and developing these new connections at the moment of their rupture. Inviting artists, curators, creative workers who have been forced to leave their homes and countries, MOCHNARTE offers a space for reflection, conversation, rest and work.