By Tequila Mockingbird
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 12/24/24 – The Tate Modern in London is currently hosting a major retrospective of the iconic American artist Mike Kelley, titled Mike Kelley: Ghost and Spirit. The exhibition, which opened on October 3, 2024, runs until March 9, 2025, offering a comprehensive look at Kelley’s groundbreaking career, spanning from the late 1970s through to his untimely death in 2012.
Known for his provocative exploration of childhood, popular culture, and social commentary, Kelley’s work challenges conventional ideas of innocence, nostalgia, and societal norms. The exhibition presents a dynamic range of works, including paintings, sculptures, installations, videos, and performances, offering a deep dive into the artist’s complex, often unsettling world.
Some key highlights of the show include:
- Echoes (1991): This large-scale installation features stuffed animals and found objects, creating a haunting commentary on the blurred boundaries between childhood and adulthood.
- Kandinsky’s Other World (1993): A series of paintings that fuse the influence of Wassily Kandinsky’s abstract forms with elements of pop culture and children’s drawings, revealing Kelley’s unique synthesis of high and low art.
- Mobile Home (1997): A life-size replica of a mobile home, transformed into a surreal and unsettling space, questioning the idea of domesticity and the American dream.
- Catholic School (1999): A striking installation that recreates the interior of a Catholic school classroom, complete with desks, chairs, and religious iconography, evoking themes of discipline, conformity, and spiritual struggle.
Curated by Catherine Grenier and Daniel Birnbaum, Mike Kelley: Ghost and Spirit mark the first major UK retrospective of the artist’s work. The exhibition offers a rare opportunity to explore the breadth of Kelley’s influence, from his early days as a student to his legacy as a visionary force in contemporary art.
