An outstanding retrospective of Mike Kelley find its perfect home at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City. To be honest I was not completely familiar with vastness of work of this artist who sadly left the planet in 2012, at age 57. The conceptual artist was born in Detroit but based in Los Angeles where he attended the California Institute of the Arts; he worked in almost any medium, including painting, drawing, video, film, photography, sculpture, site specific installation and performance. The retrospective was organized by the Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum and presents two hundred works, some originals but the majority are reconstructions of site specific installations. While I was already familiar with his performances and stuffed animals installation I was fascinated by the unexpected spatial explorations and architectural models. Even birdhouse became inspiration for sculptural social commentaries.
On view until February 2 2014 —not to be missed!
"From My Istitutions to Yours" 1987 |
"Animation" 2007 |
"Pay for Your Pleasure" 1988 |
Performances photos and sketches |
"Black Out" 2001 |