JONATHAN MEESE German, b. 1971

Jonathan Meese was born in Tokyo and moved to Germany in the mid-1970s. His studies in Hamburg with performance artist Franz Erhard Walther influenced what Meese is now known for: performances, sculptures, paintings, assemblages, drawings, photographs, artists’ books, poetry, stage design, costumes, opera librettos, and choreography.

 Meese’s practice addresses certain uneasy aspects of German political history and seeks to adopt ideological symbols and empty them of meaning. His work explores themes of politics, history, cultural memory, primordial myths, and literature, and draws inspiration from a variety of sources, such as movies and books. A core tenet of his practice is his belief that without culture, society is dead. Meese's forms are often distorted and unsettling, using irony and humor to confront traditional ideas of art. The artist constantly explores and re-explores these forms, revisiting them so they take on an archetypal quality between individual likeness and commonality. 

Meese’s work is featured in several private and public collections internationally, including Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Hall Art Foundation, New York; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark; Musées de la Ville de Strasbourg, France; Rubell Family Collection, Miami; De La Cruz Collection, Miami; and Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (S.M.A.K.), Ghent, Belgium. Meese lives and works in Berlin and Hamburg.