From the outside, Kunstraum Norten looks like a supermarket from the 1960s. That was the building with the thick-collared flat roof – a “Coop” branch for the people in Gelsenkirchen-Scholven. But the branch closed decades ago, like many large suburban and rural grocery stores. Since then, the building had lost its original purpose and was left to rot. Until Rainer Norten and his son Nick decided to buy it and use it to develop the “Norten Art Space”. The two architects, who have their offices near the former supermarket, were of course aware of the special signature of the hall-like construction. They therefore set up a foundation with the aim of saving the building, showing fine art there and offering an educational program for children and young people.
Claudia Tebben was allowed to set up the first exhibition. The artist also has her studio in Scholven. But before she could hang up her abstract paintings, some of which were up to three by six meters in size, the building had to be renovated and converted. The technology was also set up according to the latest standards. The roof is green and a photovoltaic system converts solar energy into electricity.
The “Kunstraum Norten” shows that civic engagement is essential for our society. The city of Gelsenkirchen should not only be grateful to Rainer and Nick Norten for preserving this architectural gem, but also for the educational program for children and young people.
The fact that politicians are often blind to the treasures in their direct environment is proven by the ignorance of the city of Düsseldorf and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia: Both could take an example from the Norten Foundation and finally the former studio of the artist Joseph Beuys on Düsseldorf’s Drakeplatz, which is up for sale secure for the general public.
