Jonathan Meese (Gen. 1970, Tokyo) appeared on the international art scene the 1998 and today he is considered one of the most successful proponents of contemporary art. He is known for his versatile work, which includes exuberant tables (which confuse personal hieroglyphs and collages), facilities, ecstatic performances, sculptures, designs and sets for theatrical performances.

In this exhibition the artist will present a series of new sculptures and paintings.

At the core of Meese's work remains an unrelenting sense of history,from which figures emerge, symbols and objects that later become a mythological universe that completes his work and pulls the viewer into it by force.

Meese unfolds his materials on large surfaces and places mythological figures on them, collage, colors and quotes in a powerful and expressive way. In his work one can see a special look towards the most aggressive or tragic figures of history. Personalities like Nero, Imhotep, Caligula, Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, they have appeared in his works and may coexist with Meese's own self-portraits, but also references from literary passages of history or ideological and political statements.

His new paintings, it is the fruit of a new phase of exploration of the medium. The paintings overflow with collages, slogans and graffiti, balancing somewhere between humor and violence. The artist orchestrates a clash between varnishes and impastos, dynamic strokes and fine lines.

His sculptures emerge from a personal mythological universe that combines the forces of good and evil with references to antiquity, history and contemporary popular culture.

 Works by Jonathan Meese are in many public and private collections, such as: MOMA-New York, Center Pompidou-Paris, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art-New Zealand, Saatchi Collection. He has taken part in important exhibitions such as: Berlin Biennale, 1998, “Generation Z“, PS1-New York, 1999, “New Blood“, Saatchi Collection-London, 2004, “Dionysiac“, Center Pompidou-Paris, 2005. In December 2010 the MOCA-North Miami museum, hosted a large solo exhibition of the artist.

He has made important performances, among which: the improvisation for Wagner's Parsifal at the Staatsoper;, Berlin, 2005, and Noël Coward is Back, at Tate Modern, 2006.

The 2010 designed the scenery for the world premiere of the opera "Dionysus", a new opera by Wolfgang Rihm based on Nietzsche's last cycle of poems "Dionysus-Dithyrambs".

Jonathan Meese lives and works in Berlin.

Info

Bernier-Eliades site, Heptachalkou 11, Thisio, Athena

Opening date Thursday 12 January, 20:00-22:00. Duration: 12 January – 1 Of March 2012. Hours of operation: Tr- Fri. 10:30-18:30, Sat 12:00-16:00

Information Tel.: 210 3413 937

Source : culturenow.gr