Notes

German conceptual artist Jonathan Meese likes to play with colour, like a dance. Born in Tokyo in 1970 to an English father and a German mother, Meese grew up in Hamburg and embarked on a career as a professional artist around the time of his 22nd birthday. Influenced initially by Picasso and Dali, the ever-enthusiastic Meese, who describes himself as an ‘animal for art’ and a ‘servant to art’, is known for his controversial conceptual paintings, sculptures, performances and installations. Stylistically garish, Meese uses collage, photography, found objects, thick paints, crayons, ink and watercolour. In his own words, ‘Art is above everything, Art never produces victims, Art is what survives.’