De Stadscollectie Antwerpen is a lively tribute to the artists who give colour to the city of Antwerp. From emerging talent to established names, this collection highlights local creativity but also the global influence of Antwerp’s art scene. Welcome!

Jonathan Meese

(c)Jonathan Meesse
THE THIRD MAN'S SOLDIERS! (KNALLBONBONS "X") - 1 - , 2022
Sculpture , 72 x 195 cm
advertising pilar, acrylic, Caparol-dispersion binder

The installations of painter, sculptor, and performer Jonathan Meese (b. 1970, Tokyo, Japan) are like a gesamtkunstwerk. In his provocative performances, in which he often appears to play the role of a child or court jester, Meese argues in favour of a dictatorship of art in which politics, ideology and art itself become a game to eliminate taboos. Self-portrait is a common theme in his oeuvre. THE THIRD MAN’S SOLDIERS! (KNALLBONBONS “X”) —1— is a painted advertising column, tying in with Meese’s practice, which re-appropriates propaganda. Meese creates a layered personal mythology, larded with references to history and art, as well his struggles with his own ego.

Jonathan Meese is represented by Tim Van Laere Gallery.