Page 6 - SMCK Magazine - Issue #01

WELT
A MENTAL SHIFT HAS TO TAKE PLACE
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Rudolf Maximilian Becker, owner and curator of WELTRAUM gallery, on the coronavirus’ bright side, indie toughness, and Munich’s potential to accommodate
more jewellery art
CZ: What has motivated you to run a non-commercial gallery for more than 20 years?
RMB: I grew up with art, I have been surrounded with art since childhood. Permanent contact with art and ar- tists is my life purpose. Dealing with art is like reading a newspaper, it’s food for thought. I cannot imagine life without my constant involvement with art.
Interview by Christoph Ziegler
CZ: How did you decide to open a gal- lery?
RMB: When I was looking for a flat, I came across the shop on Rumford- strasse. The house has original turn- of-the-century front windows, which you rarely see in Munich nowadays. The renovation took me two years to complete and I invested a lot of money, time, and energy to make the rooms look like they do today.
It was only when I was finished with the renovation that I had the idea of having shows in the space. This is how WELTRAUM was born, in 1997. Thus, the gallery is also my living room, my life focus, and my flat.
CZ: How many artists have exhibited in WELTRAUM so far?
RMB: I’ve curated the exhibitions of approximately 1,500 artists in WELT- RAUM. Apart from the solo shows, which for me are always an intensive exchange with the artist’s work, I’ve curated and presented many group exhibitions featuring two to 20 artists each. My record is a group show with 107 participants—in approximately 60 square meters!
I had show openings almost every weekend for about a year and a half. In the long term, this brought me a lot of publicity, which also benefited the artists. Nevertheless, nobody can ma- nage to have an exhibition opening every week. Our visitors also thought it was too much.
Photo: Frank von Schoenfels