Artistic Curriculum Vitae
Dennis Josef Meseg
Action artist, sculptor, painter and author from Wesseling, Germany.
Dennis Josef Meseg works at the intersection of installation, sculpture, performance, painting and socially critical action art. His works address themes such as the pandemic, violence against women, abuse of power, war, poverty, environmental destruction, loss, remembrance and social responsibility. Many of his projects leave the traditional exhibition space and enter public space directly.
Profile
Year of birth: 1979
Lives and works in: Wesseling, Germany
Fields of work: Installation, action art, sculpture, plastic art, painting, drawing, performance, literature
Studio
Studio Dennis Josef Meseg
Kronenweg 11
50389 Wesseling
Germany
Education and Awards
Part-time training programme to become a state-recognised clown performer
Private Vocational School for Clowns, Michael Stuhlmiller, Hofheim am Taunus, Germany
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Fine Arts
Focus on sculpture and new media, Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, Alfter/Bonn. Graduated with honours, final grade 1.0.
Creativity Award of the German Society for Creativity, Berlin
Internship with Thomas Baumgärtel
Studio of the “Banana Sprayer”, Cologne
Major Installations and Actions
Room installation, Discovery Art Fair Cologne, XPOST Cologne
Exhibition and social room installation, Galerie Schwingelerhof, Wesseling
Social art action, Cologne
Installation in public space, Bornheim
Installation and action commemorating the 135 victims of the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley, including presentations at the State Parliament in Mainz, Hanover, Remagen and Sinzig
Shattered Souls in a Sea of Silence
Installation with 333 child figures, including presentations at Cologne Cathedral, Bonn and Wiesbaden
Installation, staging and art action, Discovery Art Fair Cologne
HOPE & SURVIVAL – A Shelter for Ukraine
Artistically designed shelter for Ukraine, Odessa and Kherson
From Gallery to Soup Kitchen – Soup Instead of Champagne
Social art action, UpDate Gallery, Bonn
Germany-wide installation against violence against women and girls
Corona memorial and installation in public space, 142 locations in more than 40 cities
Selected Exhibitions, Art Fairs and Participations
Floods – July 2021. A disaster in the heart of Europe
Exhibition at the European Parliament, Brussels
70 for Helmut Lorscheid’s 70th Birthday
Exhibition participation
Downtown Bonn
It is like it is as Stage Design
Dance theatre / musical, Berlin-Reinickendorf
Group exhibition, Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne
Kitsch and Art. Confrontations and Border Crossings
Wilhelm Fabry Museum, Hilden
Zurich
Konstanz / Lake Constance
LWL Industrial Museum Henrichshütte, Hattingen
Studio Dennis Josef Meseg, Wesseling
lockdown_artworks
co/Atelier Art Space, Cologne
Group exhibition, Galerie du Haut-Pavé, Paris; artist name: JCDS – John Christoph Dionysos Sommersberg
Group exhibition, Galerie du Haut-Pavé, Paris; artist name: JCDS – John Christoph Dionysos Sommersberg
Publications, Books and Editions
Inclusion in a publication offering impulses for teaching practice in fine arts
Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, Alfter
It is like it is – Photo Book and Documentation
Documentation of the Corona installation on approximately 450 pages in images and text
Children’s book published under the pseudonym Nils Neuwerth
Selected Press and Public Response
Kinderland ist abgebrannt
Coverage including Rheinische Post, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and Kölnische Rundschau
Shattered Souls in a Sea of Silence
International and national coverage including Tagesschau, WDR, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Welt, Deutsche Welle, The Independent, Forbes India and India Today
HOPE & SURVIVAL – A Shelter for Ukraine
Coverage including ZEIT, n-tv and Stern
From Gallery to Soup Kitchen
Coverage including WDR WestArt, WELTKUNST, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and Kunstplaza
It is like it is / Broken
Reports and features including WDR, WDR 5, Innovations-Forum and regional media
A detailed overview of press reports, TV features, radio features and online publications can be found in the press archive of Dennis Josef Meseg.
Early Artistic Stations
International Art Academy Heimbach / A Year for Art / ArtAlfter
Exhibitions, work shows and early academic presentations
CheapArt Sensation and Kult41 Bonn
Exhibition participations and artistic presentations in Bonn
First international exhibition participation in Paris
Galerie du Haut-Pavé, Paris, under the artist name JCDS – John Christoph Dionysos Sommersberg