Page 7 - SMCK Magazine - Issue #01

“Studies and apprenticeships enable you to see the world with fresh eyes
and exhibitions I presented made subse- quently clear what the gallery’s concept was.
I’m friends with 99 percent of all the ar- tists who have exhibited at WELTRAUM. For me, a friendly atmosphere is very im-
DIY principle in my work, as most artists do. I had never applied for public funding before the exhibitions The Sacred & The Profane (2019) and WAR_Polemos (2020) that you curated, which were indeed sponsored by the city of Munich! [Laughs.]
CZ: What’s the ratio between your com- mitment and your profit?
intensive exhibition program that took place inside this replica and lasted six weeks. The feedback was amazing.
A show I presented at the prestigious mu- nicipal art gallery, Lothringer 13, featuring 160 artists, hit a record number of visitors.
RAUM
RMB: For years, earning money from the
gallery wasn’t my aim , because this work
gave me so much. I never had a master
plan like “I want to earn this specific
amount of money from my gallery.” I’ve realized all WELTRAUM projects
There was also no fixed concept on what through my own efforts and means of
WELTRAUM should show. The projects support,withoutanyfunding.Iapplythe
” portantformycommitmentandthefas-
cination I experience in this dialogue.
CZ: Is WELTRAUM funded by the city of Munich?
RMB: Last autumn the city of Munich gave me an award for my extensive commit- ment regarding the independent art scene. In 2015, for WELTRAUM's 20th an- niversary, I was invited to install a real-life WELTRAUM replica in the Rathausgalerie (Munich Town Hall Gallery). I curated an
CZ: What is the situation for Munich ar- tists?
RMB: The problem you face as an artist in Munich is that after graduation, even be- fore you start making art, you must deal with the promotion of your work and se- curing funding. Even big art institutions and museums in Munich struggle to sur- vive; this is why nobody can predict how
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Photo: Rudolf M. Becker