Mike Kelley at MoMA PS1

“Deodorized Central Mass with Satellites,” (1991-1999)

Last Sunday, in between cramming for my Contemporary Post-War Art (1945-Present) midterm, I went to see the opening of the Mike Kelley retrospective exhibit at MoMA PS1. The exhibit is the first of its kind there and dedicates the entire museum to a single artist, the late Kelly’s work. Kelley, who committed suicide in 2012 by sealing himself inside his bathroom in South Pasadena, California and asphyxiating himself with fumes from a barbecue grill, is often considered one of the most influential artists of the past quarter century and often depicts psychological elements of childhood.

“More Love Hours Than Can Ever Be Repaid and the Wages of Sin” (1987).

Kelley most famously used stuffed animals and toys as a metaphor for expressionist art, but also produced an impressive body of other work and worked in a vast array of mediums including drawings, writing, painting, sculpture, performance, video and assemblage. I recently read his essay “Urban Gothic” where he warns against modern architecture and predicts that we’ll all be slaves to machines (which arguably has already happened). His humor is extremely dry and his writing is dense and difficult to work through.

“Naked Majas (Bettelheims’ Genital),” (2008-2009)

Kelley came from a working class background in Detroit and had an MFA from CalArts. For me, knowing an artist’s biography helps me to better understand and appreciate their work. I firmly believe in social art history and I think that it’s impossible to evaluate any work in a vacuum. His work is dark, but it’s also humorous at times–drawing inspiration from and playing on the various the themes of ’70s smut comics, super heroes, philosophy and underground music.

“City 000” (2010)

“Day is Done” (2005) is a feature-length “musical” comprised of 32 different video chapters based on extracurricular activities found in a high school year book. This installation focuses on repressed memories and most of the imagery is taken from holiday festivities, hazing rituals and plays. The room that holds this exhibit is eerie, with images of school children and Dracula looming about. While the work speaks for itself, there is an overwhelming and overpowering sense of darkness in the exhibition, overshadowed by the artist’s recent suicide. It’s hard not to consider the psychological state of one who produces such an expansive oeuvre over the course of three decades. The works intentionally stir up the unpleasant side of childhood and manage to make something innocent into something uncomfortable and gloomy.