Jonathan Meese, Daniel Richter, Tal R The Men Who Fell from Earth

Three international heavyweights in contemporary painting will join forces when Danish Tal R and his two German colleagues and friends, Jonathan Meese and Daniel Richter, hold a joint exhibition at Holstebro Kunstmuseum, under the title?The Men Who Fell from Earth?. 0In recent decades, with an almost unrestrained energy, these three artists have made a name for themselves as significant innovators of the painting tradition. Their inspiration is often drawn from the borderline of what is generally acceptable, and the result is fabulous imagery that demonstrates great colouristic and expressive strength. Although there is sometimes a lot of humour present, the subjects addressed by Jonathan Meese, Daniel Richter and Tal R are both serious and urgent. 0The exhibition?s title is a reworking of the title of a book by US science fiction writer Walter Tevis, 'The Man Who Fell To Earth'. In 1976, the novel was adapted for the screen by Nicolas Roeg in the cult film of the same name. Here, multimedia artist David Bowie plays the lead role as the alien Thomas Jerome Newton, who arrives on Earth to obtain water for his drought-plagued planet. The project fails, and Newton goes to the dogs in all kind of abuse. The film thus depicts the corruption of both alien and human nature, with its tendency to indulge in depravity and excess in a society that can offer anything; but first and foremost, this strangely disturbing and highly relevant fable is a mindset of climate crisis, commercial greed and the brutal suppression of whatever is foreign in nature. 00Exhibition: Holstebro Kunstmuseum, Denmark (16.09.2017-07.01.2018).