JP Meyer
JP Meyer is a visual artist with a unique flair for the narrative in the subject matter, colour, and execution of his paintings. His playful aesthetic, almost comical, has an underlying mythology or historical reference in every work. These mythological underpinnings are often much darker allegories for human experience mustered forth by the whisperings and writings of the ancients. They’re the present-day gods and saints, enfolded in bright acrylic paints and accompanied by symbolic companions to the main figure, not unlike toys that come with accessories. Humans are frequently accompanied by symbolic animals that elevate our understanding of their stories. His flat colour planes and faux naïf aesthetic are reminiscent of cartoons, of Pop Art from the 60s that offered a take on the visuals and subject matter of early advertising. It cuts to the core of our persisting need for engagement with stories and their protagonists. JP Meyer has exhibited at DAOR Contemporary on several exhibitions including Autumn 2021, group exhibition Winter 2021, and play play 2022.
JP Meyer, Young Spartans, Acrylic on canvas diptych, 2022, 150 x 240 cm
JP Meyer, Vulcan, 2021, Acrylic on Canvas, 110 x 77 cm
JP Meyer, The Quest, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
JP Meyer, The Oracle, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
JP Meyer, The Mexican, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
JP Meyer, The Kahn of the Mongols, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
JP Meyer, St Sebastian in Africa, 2021-2022, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
JP Meyer, Pasiphae, 2021-2022, Acrylic on canvas, 110 x 110 cm
JP Meyer, Leto and the wolf, 2021-2022, Acrylic on canvas, 110 x 110 cm
JP Meyer, Laocoon and his sons, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
JP Meyer, George and the Dragon, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
JP Meyer, Chiron, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 160 x 180 cm
JP Meyer, Apollo and Python, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
JP Meyer, A Victorian at the Zoo, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
JP Meyer, George and the Dragon, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 102 x 77 cm
JP Meyer, Don Juan, 2021 x acrylic on canvas, 102 x 77 cm
JP Meyer, Black Panther, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 102 x 77 cm
JP Meyer, The Spell, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
JP Meyer, The Seer, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
JP Meyer, Joker, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
JP Meyer, All adventures need a dragon, 2023, Acrylic on Canvas, 200 x 160 x 4 cm
JP Meyer, A Dragon in my Fantasy, 2023, Acrylic on Canvas, 200 x 160 x 4 cm
Solo Exhibitions
2022
Residency Exhibition, Forster Gallery, Zanzibar
2021
Snakes and Ladders, Bland Gallery, Richmond, Virginia, USA
2020
Ink, Facebook
2019
Gods, Men and Monsters, The Toffee Gallery, Darling
Of Mice, Men and Dinosaurs, Facebook
2017
Wrong Archive, Alex Hamilton Studio Gallery, Cape Town
2014
Loopsand, Watershed, Prince Albert
Simulacrum, Breytenbach Gallery, Wellington
2016
Doop / Initiate, Woordfees, Stellenbosch
2010
Exchange, Prince Albert Gallery, Prince Albert
2008
Constant movement, Artspace@Granitas, Pretoria
2006
Repetition, Cultivaria Festival, Paarl
2003
Reflection, Association of Visual Art, Cape Town
Joint Exhibitions
2022
Play-Play, DAOR Contemporary, Cape Town with Carin Dorrington and Katja Abbott
2021
It’s [not] Black and White, Glen Carlou Gallery, Stellenbosch with Erika Suter
2020
Foyer Pots and other Foreign Fables, Gallery @ Glen Carlou with Carin Dorrington
2018
Painters’ Painters, Dawid Ras Gallery, Sandton with Matthew Brittan.
2017
Up Your Sleeve, Mok Gallery, Stellenbosch with Ingrid Bolton, Katie Barnard-du Toit, Noeleen Kleeve and Lene Ehlers.
2013
SOIL, Gallery Grande Provence, Franschhoek with Katie Barnard-du Toit, Anthony Shapiro and Gregor Rohrig.
2005
Stukkies, Artspace, JHB with Varenka Pascke and Cobus van Bosch
2004
Drie Skilders, KKNK, Oudtshoorn with Adriaan van Zyl and Philip Badenhorst
2003
Twee Skilders, KKNK, Oudtshoorn with Adriaan van Zyl
Group Exhibitions (Selected)
2022
BOLERO International Artproject on the move, Kyiv (Ukraine) and Kassel (Germany)
2021
Somewhere over the rainbow, Art and About, Johannesburg.
Winter + Autumn Exhibition, DAOR Contemporary, Cape Town
2020
Subsurface Scattering, GalleryONE11, Cape Town
Boys don’t Cry, Rust & Vrede Gallery, Durbanville
Art Night, Nel-on-Long, Cape Town
2019
Works on Paper, RK Contemporary, Riebeek Kasteel
Dwell in Possibility, Vrystaat Art Festival, Bloemfontein
2018
The Universe Next Door, Rossouw Modern, Hermanus
Kennis, Woordfees, Stellenbosch
2017
Cruel Cruel Summer, Gallery @ Glen Carlou, Stellenbosch
Dead and Dreaming (Still life), Priest Gallery, Johannesburg
Bolero, Eos Gallery, Athens, Greece
Instrumente van Vrede, Breytenbach Gallery, Wellington
To see the forest for the trees, US Museum, Stellenbosch
2016
Fear & Loss : Industrial Karoo, Khazimla, De Aar
Vernissage, MOOR Gallery, Franschhoek
The Salon, A.V.A., Cape Town
The Promise of Now, Gallery @ Glen Carlou, Stellenbosch
2015
Daaglikse Dosis, Clover Aardklop, Potchefstroom
Alfabeter, Woordfees, Stellenbosch
Industrial Karoo : Fear + Loss, Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria
2014
Burger 100 Year Exhibition, Artscape, Cape Town
Industrial Karoo : Fear + Loss, Oliewenhuis Museum, Bloemfontein
Panorama, D-Street Gallery, Stellenbosch
2013
Moleskin Art + Design Project, KKNK, Oudtshoorn
Velvet, KKNK, Oudtshoorn
2012
I am an African, Grande Provence, Franschhoek
2011
New Identity, Grande Provence, Franschhoek
2010
Current Matters, Grande Provance, Franschhoek
2005
Finding You, AVA, Cape Town
2004
Brett Kebble Awards Exhibition, CTICC, Cape Town
Sasol New Signatures, PTA Art Gallery, Pretoria
2003
Brett Kebble Awards Exhibition, CTICC, Cape Town
Krisp, Art.B, Bellville
Collections
Hollards, Johannesburg, South Africa
Rand Merchant Bank, Johannesburg, South Africa
Sasol, Johannesburg, South Africa
Didata, South Africa
Nando’s, United Kingdom
McMillan Publishing, Johannesburg, South Africa