Jon Merz is a Swiss Postwar & Contemporary artist, born in 1981 in Neuchâtel.

Merz, who lives in Berlin and Basel, trained at the Bern University of the Arts and the Hamburg Academy of Fine Arts. He has been exhibiting his work in Switzerland and abroad over ten years.

He can almost be seen as a painter with an easel and a summer hat in the outdoors, almost as if he were a 19th-century Impressionist. However, the paintings depicted in his immediate surroundings resemble Expressionism and occasionally Symbolism. The works appear classically styled, almost in the manner of Old Masters, showing a strong art historical influence. Much of it feels somewhat familiar, yet at the same time, it is extremely surprising and refreshing, especially when one is aware of the artist’s earlier work, such as his monochrome-painted wooden cubes from the early 2010s or his constructions made from plywood boards, steel rods, and other materials from hardware stores. These early pieces, which fluctuate between paintings and early objects, evoke movements like Post-Minimalism and the Conceptual Art of the 1970s, as well as Hard Edge or Color Field painting. They also recall German artists like Joseph Beuy’s students Imi Knoebel and Blinky Palermo. Like them, Merz emerges as a new representative of constructivist, non-objective art – a kind of Constructivism 3.0.

His paintings are characterized by a masterful interplay of light, color, and texture, which invites a nuanced examination of both the physical and metaphysical realms, prompting viewers to embark on a journey of introspection. Merz often marries representational elements with abstract forms, blurring the boundaries between realism and abstraction. Furthermore, Merz’s technique demonstrates an acute awareness of composition and rhythm, integrating dynamic brushwork with meticulous detail.

The artist was nominated for the Swiss Art Awards 2024 and has benefited from several residencies.

Merz's work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and art shows, and institutions, such as the Bern Cantonal Bank and the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Neuchâtel, have begun acquiring his paintings.

Solo Shows:

·   2025

New Swiss gallery (name to be announced soon), Zurich, Switzerland – September (Upcoming)

·   2024

“Le Jardin d’Eau“, Château de Gruyères, Gruyères, Switzerland

·   2022

“Berlin am Meer”, Lokal-int, Bienne, Switzerland

·   2021

“Sohn des Glücks”, Espace Sauvage, Düsseldorf, Germany

·   2018

“Parade de Monstres”, Smallville Space, Neuchâtel, Switzerland

“No regrets”, Benzene, Hamburg, Germany

·   2017

“Sonntag”, Espace Labo, Geneva, Switzerland

·   2016

“The fool on the Hill”, Córtex Frontal, Arraiolos, Portugal

·   2014

“Blue”, Galerie Milieu, Bern, Switzerland

·   2012

“Gegenschlag im Zentrum”, Center, Berlin, Germany

Selected Group Shows:

·   2024

 “Snack III”, Galerie Lange + Pult, Auvernier, Switzerland

“Berlin Group Show”, Nizza Berlin (Cooperation Space), Berlin, Germany

“Votive”, Hyphastudios, London, United Kingdom

“Swiss Art Awards”, Basel, Switzerland

“Summer Show”, Galerie Mighela Shama, Geneva, Switzerland

·   2023

“The Painting Academy”, Galerie Polomarco, Geneva, Switzerland

·   2021

“Plus est en vous”, Art Môtiers 2021, Môtiers, Switzerland

“Corona Call”, Kunstraum Kreuzlingen, Kreuzlingen, Switzerland

·   2019

“Cantonale Bern Jura”, Kunsthauslangenthal, Langenthal, Switzerland

“Snack”, Galerie Lange + Pult, Auvernier, Switzerland

·   2018

“Juleutstillingen”, Billedgalleri, Haugesund, Norway

“Toxic BoomRoom”, Benzene, Hamburg, Germany

“Jahresaustellung”, Hochschule der Künste, Hamburg, Germany

·   2017

“Festivalfangst”, Haugesund, Norway

“Poly Eck Dings”, Benzene, Hamburg, Germany

“Masteraustellung”, Hochschule der Künste, Hamburg, Germany

“Jahresaustellung”, Hochschule der Künste, Hamburg, Germany

·   2016

“Rundgang”, Hochschule der Künste, Hamburg, Germany

·   2015

“Old Friends New Ideas - Old Ideas New Friends”, Galerie Milieu, Bern, Switzerland

“Going places”, Salon Mondial, Basel, Switzerland

“Swiss art awards”, Art Basel. Basel, Switzerland

·   2014

“Space is the place”, IAAB, Berlin, Germany

“Cantonale Bern Jura”, Kunsthaus Langenthal, Switzerland

 “Regionale”, Kunstverein Freiburg, Switzerland

Awards and grants:

·   2024

Finalist of Swiss Art Awards

·   2015

Nominee for the Swiss Art Prize

·   2014

Scholarship holder of the international exchange and studio program Basel region (IAAB)

·   2013

Nominee for the Swiss Art Prize

Realization of a commission for the Berner Kantonalbank

·   2010

Contribution to the patronage fund for young Swiss artists, Kunsthalle Basel

Representative of the Bern University of the Arts (HKB), Platform 10

·   2008

Exchange program of the Association of Icelandic Artists (SÍM), two months residency in Reykjavik and Skagaströnd, Iceland. Art in public space and writing of bachelor thesis

·   2005

Winner of a scholarship, residency in New York City

This series of paintings “Berlin am Meer” was started in 2021 and shows expressionistic depictions that evoke images of landscapes. While having worked for many years prior on more conceptual and abstract artistic expressions, the now manifold color palette of marks, flames, and specks compose vibrant, energetic panoramas. On the verge of abstraction, his painterly forms are just the right amount of figuration and ornament to give suggestive impulses – one can contemplate the sky, land, and organic and naturalistic formations in different seasons and different times of the day or night.

While looking at Merz’s work, the spaces that appear and disappear resemble places we might have seen in reality or our inner dreams, introspective observations. With references to the art of the late 19th century, one thinks of symbolist painters like James Ensor, abstract painters such as Wassily Kandinsky, and visionary artist Hilma af Klint. Merz paints on wood and canvas, often working in smaller to mid-size formats. On some pieces, he layers paint repeatedly, sometimes for several years. His paintings often feature multilayered and textured surfaces, with a painterly patina that reflects a continuous painting process that gives the work a powerful, sensual gravitas. From visions of utopian places to darker dreams and inner spiritual worlds, the rich associations in Merz’s work combine an analytical approach with effect and gesture, resonating with our metamodern reality.