High Gloss

High heels, fast cars, luxury bags and designer furniture. How luxury takes influence on our lives and how prestige objects are aesthetically represented and repeatedly shown in advertising and television is in the focus of the renowned German artist Heiner Meyer (*1953 in Bielefeld, DE, lives and works in Bielefeld, DE). He uses the theme to create outstanding works of art and to shake up viewers and to amaze. High Gloss is the second summer exhibition of
Gallery HAAS & GSCHWANDTNER during the shortened festival season
in Salzburg.

The brilliance of colours contributes greatly to the visual appearance of a painting. We perceive shine with our senses and it depends on the viewer. Gloss is technically measurable and is created when light is bundled and reflected on a surface. But the word gloss has another meaning: it stands for glamour, charisma, attraction and splendour. "The title High Gloss is inspired by the collaboration with the artist and designer Walter Maurer, who coined this term and whose works give the color incomparable depth through many layers of clear lacquer. The same happens in my works. Multi layered painting and the mental level is what makes my works what they are."

Widely known as a student of Salvador Dali, Heiner Meyer is a painter of contemporary still lifes. His luxuriously furnished picture scenarios are painted in a distinctive style that unites different traditions, from Hyperrealism to Pop Art. Characteristic for his works are the visual adornment and the juxtaposition of classics of design history in a recurring canon of images.

A fascinating sculpture is the focus of the gallery visitors' attention. The larger-than-life representation of a steel Kelly Bag. Heiner Meyer forms a monument. Liberated from its pedestal, the iconic product stands on the floor with a rough surface. "A certain irony of our megalomaniacal consumerism can be read in the monumentalization and enlargement. How do viewers behave towards this work of art? The form of the 'it bag' alone triggers a chain of associations in many people. What role do memory and collective memory play? What is chosen to become a luxury icon? Heiner Meyer works with motifs like the Kelly Bag by Hermes or the Porsche, which are inscribed in our memory. He enjoys showing us the beautiful things in life, which we all admittedly long for," says Martina Pohn, director of the gallery, about the works.

Looking back on an oeuvre that spans almost 50 years, the most recent works reflect the examination of the beauty and fashion industry and design. The theme of luxury goods runs constantly through his oeuvre, the question of the iconisation of objects and people guides him. What is our attitude towards cult objects? Our knowledge of the status of these luxury items breathes life into the works.

The exhibition High Gloss runs until September 28, 2020 and shows a selection of paintings, prints and sculptures by Heiner Meyer.