JONATHAN MEESE – DIE NACKTESTE FREIHEIT DER KUNST

Posted on 2018-04-16

For this exhibition the artist, born in Tokyo in 1970, has used for the first time canvases without any primer—quite literally “naked.” “The delicate aspect of his painting,” as his studio puts it, “can thus generate a different impact while at the same time, naturally, encountering something hard as well.” Shades of red, pink, yellow, and orange dominate the new paintings. A surprising gentleness and a sometimes almost “girlish” figuration are characteristic of a great deal of Jonathan Meese’s recent pictorial production. The textual messages so typical of his works, sometimes ironic, sometimes brutal, now appear in a new light. In any case, the artist seems to have discovered his feminine side. For example, we encounter a “FRÄULEIN MESSI” wearing a white dress painted on a black backdrop. In her hand, she holds an attribute with a clearly female connotation, but it remains unclear whether it is a mirror, a cooking spoon, or a huge lollipop.

Opposite – Installation view

Exhibition runs through to May 12th, 2018

Sies + Höke Galerie
Poststrasse 2+3
40213 Düsseldorf
Germany

www.sieshoeke.com