Gregor Leiprecht & Konstantin Pütz: Wasser und andere Kostbarkeiten

Since June 2025, Der Kleine Laden, a vacant shop with a large windowf front in the heart of Katernberg, is a platform for artistic exploration of global issues and their significance for the district, its residents and the Ruhr region. The theme for 2025 is “water”. Local and regional artists were invited to submit works that explore water as a natural phenomenon, resource and/or cultural symbol from different perspectives.

On June 27, the first exhibition opened in Der Kleine Laden: ›Wasser und andere Kostbarkeiten‹ explored the appeal of water as a source of life and a place of human encounter. In mythology, jackdaws, magpies and other corvids are mistakenly said to have a preference for shiny objects. Our own fascination with glittering things can be traced back to a primal instinct: the search for water. In collaboration with Konstantin Pütz, Gregor Leiprecht transformed Der Kleine Laden into a pub, a living room or a karaoke bar – with a fountain in the centre from which water gushes, flooding the area and literally making the gathering ‘fluid’.

The exhibition was on view until August 22 and was accompanied by a programme of events: small joint activities, karaoke and cooking evenings, performative moments that also revolved around the element of water, community and new forms of togetherness.