From October 13 through February 02, 2014, the MoMA PS1 will present a comprehensive survey of the work of Mike Kelley - one of the most influential artists of our time. The exhibition will bring together over 200 works, from early pieces made during the 1970s through 2012.
Born in Detroit, Kelley lived and worked in Los Angeles from the mid-1970s until his tragic death last year at the age of 57. Over his thirty-five year career, he worked in every conceivable medium-drawings on paper, sculpture, performances, music, video, photography, and painting.
Speaking of his early work and artistic concerns at large, Kelley had said, "My entrance into the art world was through the counter-culture, where it was common practice to lift material from mass culture and 'pervert' it to reverse or alter its meaning... Mass culture is scrutinized to discover what is hidden, repressed, within it."
Through his art, Kelley explored themes as diverse as American class relations, sexuality, repressed memory, systems of religion and transcendence, and post-punk politics. He brought to these subjects both incisive critique and abundant, self-deprecating humor.
Photography: Joshua White