"Your poverty pisses me off" - action artist provokes with 10,000 cuddly toys and 10 tons of rifle ammunition

The art installation "Your poverty pisses me off" by the action artist Dennis Josef Meseg causes 10,000 cuddly toys, 10 tons of rifle ammunition and a tent village for homeless people in Wesseling.

Artist Dennis Josef Meseg (46) is internationally known for his sensational and socially critical works. In his latest installation with the provocative title "Your poverty pukes me", the action artist transforms the historical facility of the Schwingeler Hof (Schwingeler Weg 44) in Wesseling near Cologne into a 1000 square meter interactive exhibition on the subject of poverty.

10,000 cuddly toys, 10 tons of rifle ammunition, a truck, a Tesla, a symbolic feast of decadence in contrast to a soup kitchen, plus video, light and sound installations and, last but not least, a "tent city of the forgotten" , in which visitors can rent through Airbnb in order to experience homelessness on their own. With his latest major project, Dennis Josef Meseg would like to draw attention to all facets of poverty and social inequality.

The topic of poverty has been concerned with me since my own youth, in which I myself was homeless for a while and had to sleep in a tent in the forest. With my exhibition, I would like to address social, mental, financial, but also emotional and empathetic poverty "

, according to Meseg, carrier of the Wesselingen cultural badge 2023.

For this he collected 10,000 cuddly toys from donations.

Cuddly toys are a symbol for everything we should give, but often cannot give. Love as a symbol, closeness as a replacement, comfort as an object. From a child we learn to distract ourselves with the consumption of injuries and emptiness. "

The exhibition includes extensive installations and performances that different facets of social disadvantage . Podium discussions and lectures make it possible to exchange ideas with experts, artists and guests about the causes and consequences of social inequality .

Workshops for school classes open up creative access to questions of prosperity and social justice. After work workshops create opportunities for joint artistic work or cooking after work and promoting encounters and dialogues. This art campaign is intended to raise awareness of social injustices, toast discussions and to open up new perspectives.

Art is used as a tool to make social issues visible and to stimulate changes. Experience art as an instrument for social change!

Exhibition duration: April 1-April 30th, on Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. or by appointment.

The exhibition does not cost admission. Visitors can bring one or more cuddly toys as a donation and thus become part of the exhibition themselves.

Dates and information at: www.dennis-josef-meseg.de

Joachim Rodriguez y Romero

Owner and Managing Director of Kunstplaza. Publicist, editor, and passionate blogger in the field of art, design, and creativity since 2011. Successful completion of a degree in web design as part of a university program (2008). Further development of creativity techniques through courses in free drawing, expressive painting, and theater/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market through many years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with actors/institutions from art and culture.

www.kunstplaza.de/