Jonathan Meese

"Doctor Trans-form-erz" 

David Nolan Gallery

October 27—December 17, 2016

Although he often times collaborates with his German fellow artists Albert Oehlen and Jörg Immendorff in Europe where he is wildly recognized, Jonathan Meese is considerably under-recognized in New York compared to his peers. However, the artist, who is also known for his unconventional operatic set designs, had a major exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami, entitled Jonathan Meese: Sculpture, during 2010 during Art Basel Miami. 

His densely colored psychedelic paintings, sculptures, and mixed media installations—not to mention his grotesque, goth persona— unabashedly incorporate elements from contemporary life (including aliens), tapping onto millennial angst and modern man’s hysteria. “I exhume to consume. My body is the reactor in a huge rubbish-recycling-experiment of leaden world and intoxicated images,” Meese stated about his provoking anarchy-driven visual language that has affixed a unique spot in European art scene. While Meese’s often times dizzying aura causes bewilderment for many viewers, his politically charged undertone makes his uncompromising tone clear.