Quo Vadis KunstWerk 1996-1997

Unfortunately, the young “KunstWerk”, rather: the overburdened of Cologne economic life beneficioning of the selfsame, without my involvement were able to exist only briefly.

Starting with autumn 1996, they urgently called me back. I put off all new projects and stood before a mess that a Chilean man had left. With a chunk of money, well cared for, he had left the house and imposingly moved farther through the mutually distrustful Cologne art clique.

And generously, in November 1996, I let myself get elected into the KunstWerk Board again by the same people who had previously trusted more an imposter – which I had warned them of before - than me, the founder of “KunstWerk”.

Of course, from this self-overestimation of all club members, expensive consequences had to be drawn, in addition to the pecuniary loss suffered by all parties from the intrigues of the man from Chile and its cheerleaders, who had at the end of 1995 usurped the management of the project itself.
Many artists of the first hour, attracted by the socio-cultural thoughts, disappointedly drew back from KunstWerk. But also the most eccentric and exhausting figures whose completely vacuous egocentrism not only from me but the whole group at that time were not met reciprocally, warped itself after heavy inflow and backfire to where they came from.

Despite my tireless group approach and the associated permanent readiness for nonstop organization and voluntary self-exploitation, the sociocultural idea waned in face of the general powerlessness we seemed to be exposed to in the Cologne clique society anyway, increasingly.
From 1998, and only after departure of some highly egocentric persons, a work back on compliance of statutes began to be possible. Unfortunately, manifested there had been mistrust already within the now to over 300 people increased and somehow two-tracking group.

For although now at this location on the Cologne “wrong (east) side”/”Schäl Sick” a place had been established with diverse creativity, enormous space, excessive artistic self-realization and diverse production spaces -, at that time, in my opinion solely due to the lack of attention and support on the part of urban institutions and the lack of commitment of the local art scene, a sustainedly negatively insistent number of fairly quiet, highly narcissistic people began to make home in the KunstWerk: persons drawn from all corners of Germany, occurring primarily as artists, having the background of financial means to afford this lifestyle and at the same time very large studios.