Heinz-Josef Mess

Heinz-Josef Mess is a German visual artist whose practice explores the intersections of spirituality, contemporary society, and artistic freedom. Active since the 1960s, Mess has developed a distinctive visual language that spans painting, drawing, conceptual art, and performance. His work is marked by a deep personal narrative and an ongoing reflection on human existence, transformation, and resilience.

A central focus of his practice is the long-term project Cultural Monuments of Art (2013–2021), consisting of over 15,000 small-format drawings created during hospital and rehabilitation stays due to a serious lung condition. These works were later transformed into contemporary art objects encased in acrylic glass under the collaborative label messconnection, developed with his son, Daniel Mess.

Mess’s work has been exhibited internationally and featured in socially and politically engaged art projects, including performances and exhibitions in Germany, Turkey, Romania, Portugal, South Korea, and the Netherlands. He lives and works in Cologne, Germany.

1982–1984
University of Fine Arts Hamburg, Germany
Studies under Prof. Franz Erhard Walther

1977
University of Applied Sciences for Graphic Design, Münster, Germany
Focus: Advertising Psychology, Photography, Fine Arts

2019 – Brainticket, Galerie N18, Cologne, Germany

2014–2015 – Artists for Peace International Art, exhibitions in Portugal, South Korea, and the Netherlands

2011 – fukushima exhibitions in Istanbul (Turkey), Izmir (Turkey), Bucharest (Romania), and Eitorf (Germany)

2010 – 20th Istanbul Art Fair, Istanbul, Turkey (Wall for Peace)

2006 – Back Into Another Reality, St. Vinzenz Hospital, Coesfeld, Germany

1996 – Das Ritual, F.M. Schwarz Galerie, Cologne, Germany