Pop-Up Art Gallery
The Pop-Up Art Gallery in the Salmenpark delighted art lovers from December 1, 2021 to January 9, 2022. Local artists exhibited their works in the freestanding commercial space. Roy Hofer was one of them. In this blog post he tells how this project came to be.
Rheinfelden is not a metropolis, and yet the pretty Zähringer town on the Rhine has added a touch of cosmopolitan atmosphere with the first Pop Art Gallery for contemporary art during the Christmas season.
Big City Flair
Where beer was once brewed, Rheinfelden West is now a new district that perfectly combines living, working and shopping. The Salmenpark is a successful mix of apartments, offices and commerce, which has been developed on the former Cardinal site by the PSP real estate company in recent years.
Next to the landmark of Salmenpark, the Malzturm, which can be seen from far away, is the smart neighborhood café Cru-Riche with a store for sustainable cocoa products. Evelyne Räz, manager, and her team from the café and store co-initiated the first temporary art event in the Salmenareal. Thanks to a regular guest, the thought-provoking impulse was given to please do something in the free-standing, large premises opposite. The desire for a higher frequency in the area also met with an open ear from City Manager Corinne Caracuta.
Pop up Gallery Salmenpark
Soon a great idea for Rheinfelden and the Salmenpark turned into a veritable art exhibition for local artists. The spacious rooms offered an exciting platform for small and large works of art.
In addition to classical painting, there were also photomontages, objects and sculptures to admire. The large kinetic installation by Charles Morgan stood out, inviting the visitors to "enter" it.
Along the long window front facing the piazza, white partition walls were lined up, hung with pictures as if at an art fair, giving the dreary place a colorful scenery. Visitors were able to take a good look at the artworks as they strolled around and establish contact with the websites of the respective artists by means of a QR code - all in the spirit of a successful corona protection regime.
On Wednesday evenings as well as on weekends one could enter the exhibition rooms. The many interested visitors were able to enjoy the artworks to the full with warm temperatures and a plate of soup from the Cru-Riche.
The interplay of in front of and behind the "shop window" gave the Pop-Up Art Gallery in Salmenpark a very special character.
The temporary art exhibition and thus the lively piazza in the Salmenpark as well as the Cru-Riche with the special offer positively surprised many people from the neighborhood and from all over Rheinfelden. The organizers could well imagine a new edition next year. The concept with temporary exhibitions could be a win-win situation for Rheinfelden as well as vacant places. Also because there can never be enough cultural events.
Roy Hofer has lived in Rheinfelden with his family since 2006. As a member of Rheinfelden's cultural committee, organizer of international art events and former artist, it is his concern to bring Rheinfelden, the Fricktal and the region together through culture.
Creative ideas can be realized in his creative lab at habich-Dietschy-Strasse 18.
