The painting of Heiner Meyer is characterised by consistency und a non-dogmatic refusal to compromise as well as by the principles of “arte sull’arte”, art in which art itself is the primary theme. In his works, he masterfully superimposes quotations and adaptations from a huge variety of sources in layers, one on top of the other, thus demonstrating the simultaneousness of the non-simultaneous.
Sculptures from the Greek classical age, pictorial themes from the painting eras of the past, portraits of currently popular movie stars and those of the fifties, Mickey Mouse and other comic characters, cars, logos of well-known fashion brands and cubes – they are all constantly recurring elements in the visual vocabulary of Heiner Meyer, elements that are quoted again and again in continuously new constellations and confrontations.
In his sculptural work – just like in his paintings – he investigates the themes of popularity and consumption of merchandise. Well-known status symbols or comic characters are divorced from their context and staged as cast bronze or wooden sculptures – in some cases oversized. In 2014 he created two large sculptures focussing on the theme of Chanel No. 5 in co-operation with Chanel and Tush magazine.
The artist was born in Bielefeld in 1953; he already opened up his first solo exhibition at Galerie Bernhard Hüning in Münster when he was only 19 years old. As of 1973 he worked as an assistant of Salvador Dalí in Port Liggat in Spain. From 1977 to 1983, Meyer studied Free Art at Braunschweig University of Art (HBK) and in 1981 he was named a master class student of Prof. Malte Sartorius. In the same year he was awarded the Rudolf-Wilke Prize of the City of Braunschweig and in 1982 the Art Prize of Lottogesellschaft Niedersachsen, the lottery company of the State of Lower Saxony.
After that he had teaching assignments at Braunschweig University of Art as well as the University of Applied Science of Bielefeld. In 1995 he was the recipient of a sponsorship from the Ministry of Culture of the State of North-Rhine Westphalia.
Heiner Meyer lives and works in Bielefeld.
The works of Heiner Meyer have been presented worldwide in more than 200 group and solo exhibitions. His pictures and sculptures can be found in numerous public as well as private collections.
His works as especially sought after in the American market. From the Hamptons to Miami, and as far away as Los Angeles, his works have already been on display in galleries and at art shows, for example at Art Miami. They have become additions to well-known collections there, for example that of the fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger. In September 2014, the large-scale sculpture of Heiner Meyer that Hilfiger purchased was even shown on the cover of the renowned magazine Architectural Digest.
Heiner Meyer was invited to participate in the first Venice Triennale in 2015. Originally planned as a collateral event during the 56th Biennale, in the meantime the exhibition at Palazzo Albrizzi has become an autonomous project.