In 1998, he is commissioned by the producer Claus Boje and the director Leander Haussmann to make sets for their film Sonnenallee and even to appear as a crazy artist in it. From this time on, he attracts the attention of the general public with installations, performances and actions, and participations in international exhibitions follow. There, he mainly shows room installations and performances in which he places himself at the centre of his work. He takes his themes from the ideas of National Socialism, which he satirises. At the beginning of the 2000s, Meese increasingly works on stage sets and is counted among the 100 most important artists in the magazine Capital for the first time. During this time, he also creates sculptures, photo collages, writings, videos and even his own staged plays. In 2008, he even designs the medal for the Roland Berger Human Rights Award.