Antwerp City Collection

Jonathan Meese has ruffled feathers on multiple occasions with his radical way of working, important themes and heavy symbolism. In his sculptures and paintings, he refers to mythology, history, pop culture and drama’s found in recent Western history. In addition, he is obsessed with German mythology and calls out for a dictatorship in the arts: ‘subject to art and religion is no longer necessary’. At first glance, Meese’s art comes across as raw and merciless. He reacts to the violence and perverse nature of our modern day society with a manic force. There is however room, in his artworks, for humour and child’s play. This is most notable in the use of materials, for example: bright colours and every day objects or even toys, in his installations.

His oeuvre depicts a capricious universe filled with personal obsessions, strange imagination and history. Meese is part of a new generation of German artist and is acknowledged by painters like Georg Baselitz and Markus Lüpertz. Meese creates large scale visual art where visions are drawn up and universal emotions are touched upon.