Karl A. Meyer

Karl Andreas Meyer, short KAM, (* 23. Juli 1958 in Basel) is a Swiss painter and sculptor.

Karl A. Meyer, who also signs his works as KAM, began his artistic career in 1980s New York City^[1] with large-scale woodcuts inspired by Hopi iconography.^[2] At that time, the so-called East Village movement emerged,^[3] in which Meyer participated through exhibitions and publications. His first gallery representation was with the Rosa Esman Gallery.^[4] He shared a studio at Crosby 66 with Claudio Knöpfli.^[5]

Since 2010, KAM has been involved in the Raiding Project with Roland Hagenberg,^[6] exhibiting his works alongside artists such as Hiroshi Hara,^[7] Ai Weiwei, and Terunobu Fujimori. Among his contributions was the installation Cloud of Humanity, consisting of 15,000 clay figurines, which has been shown in numerous exhibitions since, both in Austria and internationally. From this project large-scale sculptures emerged, such as Birdman, which was installed in 2015 at the edge of the small town of Raiding, the birthplace of Franz Liszt.^[8]

KAM’s work is driven by the search for the sublime moment – a state of fusion between human and art – expressed through monumental woodcuts and expressive textures. He is particularly fascinated by the art of North American Indigenous cultures,^[9] whose petroglyphs inspired his large-format woodworks.^[10] His artistic concept is based on the idea of the idol as a link between artist, artwork, and truth, where the artwork is considered not to be the finished object but the experience of its reception. Meyer’s work bridges archaic and modern worlds by evoking universal symbols which are understood across cultures.^[11]

KAM’s woodcuts and drawings develop a unique visual language through the repeated depiction of specific figures and symbols. For the artist, the spiritual value of an artwork lies in its form itself – in immediate perception and experience, not in analytical deconstruction. His works combine art object, idol, and symbol, referencing the primal power of aesthetic experience, which arises solely from pure form.^[12]

KAM frequently traveled to New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah to study Indigenous culture and philosophy, which profoundly shaped his artistic perspective. Later, his search for new impressions led him to the Babilônia favela in Rio de Janeiro, where he engaged deeply with the local culture, people, and their everyday realities. During his stay in Rio, he learned Portuguese and immersed himself in the vibrant daily life, capturing it with his camera.^[13] These photographed scenes became part of his Kaleidoscope Rio project, in which he portrays the poetic side of the city and its eternal struggle between good and evil. His work creates a bridge between different worlds and sheds light on social inequalities and cultural misunderstandings.^[14]

• 1987: Karl A. Meyer Works, Gallery Littmann, Basel
• 1987: Karl A. Meyer - Bilder, Zeichnungen und persische Miniaturen, Ittingen Charterhouse, Canton of Thurgau, Switzerland^[15]
• 1988: Nature Abstracted - Karl A. Meyer and Not Vital, Swiss Institute Contemporary Art New York^[16]
• 2013: Hiroshi Hara and Karl A. Meyer, Raiding Project, Raiding, Austria
• 2014: Birdman, Installation, Raiding Foundation, Austria
• 2014: Africa, 5000 clay ships, Raiding Foundation, Austria
• 2016: Ein Schiff wird kommen. Installation, Raiding Foundation, Austria
• 2018: Favela Portraits, Polaroid Exhibition in Rio de Janeiro^[17]
• 2024: RIO Love an Life in Times of Executions - Favela Portraits (Art Miami) Licht Feld Gallery^[18], Basel
• 2025: Koyaanisqatsi – Hopi: Life out of Balance, filter4, Basel^[19]

• 1984: Large Works, with Edward Brezinski, Roni Horn, Hunt Slonem and others, Brabara Braathen Gallery, New York
• 1985: East Village Funktional, with Kenny Scharf, Rhonda Zwillinger, Mark Kostabi and others. Rosa Esman Gallery, New York; Art against AIDS, with Arman, Christo, Mark DiSuvero, Tom Butter and others, Rosa Esman Gallery, New York
• 1986: Children's Coloring Book Drawings for UNICEF, group exhibition with Keith Haring, Richard Serra, Tom Wesselmann, Christo, Richard Hambleton and others, Phyllis Kind Gallery, New York; Artists of Barbara Braathen Gallery, with Donald Lipski, Ed Brezinski, Hunt Slonem and others, The Limelight, New York
• 1987: Multiple Visions – East Village Artists, with Rhonda Wall, Philip Pocock, Rick Prol, Paul Benny, Richard Hambleton and others, Art Now Gallery, Goteborg
• 2001: Lichtfeld 1, 30 Artistic Positions, Central Switzerland Platform for Contemporary Art, Sulzer-Burckhardt-Areal Gundedinger Feld, Hall 7, Basel^[20]
• 2001: Holzschnitt heute, with Romolo Esposito, Hans Weidmann, Hanns Studer, Niels Bohn, Francois Bruetschy, Francis Hungler, Daniel Clochey, Erika Lehmann, Ruedi Küenzi, Thomas Ruch, Ruedi Pfirter, Robert Wyss, Fred Bauer, Franz Bucher, Irene Wydler, Mühlestall Allschwil, Switzerland^[21]
• 2003: Licht Feld 3, with Comenius, Fredy Hadorn, Sandra Kunz, Erika Streit, Andreas Brantschen, Alfred Hofkunst, Gundeldinger Feld, Hall 7, Basel, Switzerland^[22]
• 2004: Licht Feld 4: Kunst aus der Schweiz, Deutschland und Österreich^[23]
• 2013: Biennale Licht Feld, Basel, Switzerland
• 2013: Kunstfabrik Groß Siegharts^[24], Wien, Austria

• Hagenberg, Roland, ed. (1986). Happy Happy – A childrens’ coloring book by contemporary artists. New York: Egret Publications. p. 15.
• Hagenberg, Roland; Meyer, Karl A., eds. (2013). RIO – Love and Life in Times of Executions. Polaroids and Poems. Berlin: Art In Flow. ISBN 978-3-938457-45-0.
• Hagenberg, Roland; Meyer, Terunobu; Fujimori, Karl A.; Hara, Hiroshi, eds. (2019). Raiding Project - Ten Fabulous Years. Berlin: Art In Flow. ISBN 978-3-938457-46-7.
• Hagenberg, Roland; Meyer, Karl A., eds. (2022). Crosby Street. Berlin: Art In Flow. ISBN 978-3-938457-47-4.

• Official website
• Literature by and about Karl A. Meyer in the German National Library catalogue
• "Meyer, Karl A." SIKART Lexicon on art in Switzerland.