The first major U.K. exhibition of the boundary-pushing American artist
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From the late 1970s to his untimely death in 2012, Mike Kelley created a darkly humorous body of work using drawing, collage, found objects and video. “Mike Kelley: Ghost and Spirit” at Tate Modern spans the Los Angeles-based artist’s entire career, ranging from his breakthrough “craft” sculptures made out of textile and plush toys, through to influential multi-media installations, such as “Day is Done” (2005–2006).
Drawing on repressed and traumatic memories from his working-class Catholic upbringing, Kelley explored how the roles we play in society are entangled with historical fact and imaginary characters from the films and images we consume. A key figure in the Abject Art movement of the 1990s, Kelley’s work references popular and underground culture, literature and philosophy, creating a bridge between high and low culture.
Kelley’s artistic expression of how education and authority shapes individuals continues to resonate over a decade after his death at the age of 57.
Mike Kelley, “Day Is Done” exhibition, installation view, Gagosian, New York, 2005. © Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. All Rights Reserved/VAGA at ARS, NY and DACS, London 2024. Photo: Fredrik Nilsen
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