Location: Spain
Jesus Meco Castellanos (Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain 1967). Figure, Concept and Matter.
He was born in Quintanar de la Orden (Toledo) in La Mancha, land of giants and of the legendary knight-errant Don Quixote.
In 1981, he studied in the high school of Quintanar de la Orden while attending for the afternoon to drawing and painting classes in the Studio of Antonio Arnau. In 1983 he formed the punk-rock group, Klandestinos. He collaborates in several fanzines of this village like "La Lechuga Fresquita" or "La Tribu".
In 1985, he moved to Madrid and studied Psychology at the Complutense University. In 1987, he studied Photocomposition at Vallehermoso College of Madrid. In 1989, he attended the School of Arts and Crafts (n. 10) of Madrid. In 1991, he studied Drawing and painting with natural pattern at the Fine Arts Circle of Madrid. Since 1991, he is fully dedicated to painting and illustrating collaborating with such important fanzines as "El Víbora" or "Totem".
The work of Meko highlights the nature of transformation, in the most direct sense that we assign to the art. It uses all kinds of materials and techniques, with total freedom and often spontaneously. His painting, and in general all his work, contains a high poetic ingredient. Their research is constant, for example, in recent years, we can observe the use of different materials and fabrics prepared and manipulated to produce folds and wrinkles, or different levels and spatial planes of other materials glued on successively, in many cases, using the "collage", which is incorporated by its strictly pictorial values, due to its dynamic sense of art and, likewise, their need for realism in some lyrical mode.
official website: mekoart.net
ARTISTIC TRAINING
Study of drawing and painting of Antonio Arnau. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (1983-85)
Photosetting. Vallehermoso College. Madrid. Spain (1987-89)
Mosaic and stained glass. School of Arts and Crafts -n 10-. Madrid. Spain (1989-90)
Drawing and painting with natural model. Fine Arts Circle. Madrid. Spain (1991-92)
Contemporary art restoration. Meko Art Studio. Quintanar. Toledo. Spain (2008-2010)
Virtual art and web design. Meko Art Studio. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (2008-2010)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Mancharte. Ancient School of Columbus. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (1988)
Mancharte. City Hall. Villacañas. Toledo. Spain (1988)
MalasañArt. Dos de Mayo Square. Madrid. Spain (1989)
Another Look. La Paloma Institute. Madrid. Spain (1990)
Hands United. The Ermitilla Exhibition Hall. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (1993)
Hands United. The Ermitilla Exhibition Hall. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (1996)
Views of Calafell. Promenade. Calafell. Tarragona. Spain (1997)
Contemporary Art. Promenade. Sitges. Barcelona. Spain (1997)
XXVI BMW Painting Award. House of Cows. Retiro Park. Madrid. Spain (2012)
Vienna Gallery. International Contemporary Art Fair. Shanghai. China (2013)
The New Collectors Book. Ward-Nasse Gallery. New York. United States (2014)
Quatro: First Exhibition of Artists. Stone House. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (2014-15)
From a Place of La Mancha. Quinarte. Traveling by Castilla-La Mancha: House Culture. Ocaña. Toledo (2015-16); Domus Artis. El Toboso. Toledo (2016); Municipal Museum. Alcázar de San Juan. Ciudad Real. Spain (2016-17)
ArtBox Gallery. The Armory Show. New York. United States (2018)
Artavita Online Gallery. Art San Diego Contemporary Art Show. California. United States (2018)
The Forgotten. Association of Memory and History of Manresa. Barcelona. Spain (2019)
50th Anniversary I.E.S. Infante Don Fadrique. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (2019)
Tribute to Antonio Arnau. XXX Painting Prize. Showroom El Recreo. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (2021)
Quatro. III Exhibition of Creators of Castilla-La Mancha. Showroom El Recreo. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (2021-22)
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Drawings: Tribute to De Chirico. I.E.S. Infante Don Fadrique. Quintanar de la Orden. Spain (1984)
Murals. Columbus Avenue. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (1988)
Aliens. Bar-Gallery Desert. Malasaña. Madrid. Spain (1992)
Horizons. Bar-Gallery The Street. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (1994)
Drawings and Watercolors of Calafell. Manchego Circle. Calafell. Tarragona. Spain (1997)
Jazz. Bar-Gallery Mezzanine. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (2003)
Jazz08. Café-Gallery Zarco. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (2009)
Spaces. Café-Gallery Zarco. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (2010)
Unknown Pleasures. Café-Gallery Zarco. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (2011)
Escapism. Café-Gallery Zarco. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (2012)
Oriental. The Ermitilla Exhibition Hall. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (2013)
Oriental: A western view of Ukiyo-e School. Former Casino. Albacete. Spain (2013)
Spain on Burlap. The Ermitilla Exhibition Hall. Quintanar de la Orden. Toledo. Spain (2014-15)
The timelessness and the image matter as the axis of the visual experience determines the artistic production of Meko. Timelessness, image and matter in a work whose path runs from the Conceptual Art and materic Art between the colorful and informalist commitment and the constant pursuit for reinvention.
Meko used techniques which mixed pigments traditional art with materials as sand, fabric, straw, rope, etc.., with predominance of collage and assemblage, and a textured close to bas-relief. Use the technical mystification and use of heterogeneous materials, often waste or recycling, mixed with traditional materials art looking for a new language of artistic expression. Apply its mixture of various materials in compositions that take the consistency of walls or walls, which added several distinctive elements. Images that reflect a concern for human problems: disease, death, loneliness, pain and sex. Tone akin to existentialism says the tragic destiny of man, but also claims a freedom, the importance of the individual, his capacity to act against life, ultimately free search of knowledge.
Maiko 02-C: The Hour of the Ox (2012. Mixed media on board. 47.6 x 35.9 x 1.1 in)
Studies from Prado Museum: Infanta (2013. Oil on burlap board. 47.6 x 35.9 x 0.7 in)
Militiawoman -1936. Barcelona- (2014. Oil on burlap board. 48.8 x 37 x 0.7 inches)
Waiting for Mom -London. 1940- (2016. Graphitoil on primed Japanese board. 48.8 x 60.6 x 0.7 inches)
In a Perfect World -Aleppo. Syria 2017- (2017. Oil relief on primed Japanese board. 39.3 x 48.8 x 0.7 inches)
Unknown Pleasures (2010. Couthe on board. 48.8 x 27.9 x 0.7 inches)
“Maiko”
“Infanta”
“Militiawoman ”
“Waiting for Mom ”
“In a Perfect World ”
“Unknown Pleasures ”
