Widely considered one of the most influential artists of our time, Mike Kelley (1954-2012) who received his MFA in 1978 from the California Institute of the Arts, came to prominence in the 1980s with a series of sculptures composed of common craft materials. Featuring repurposed thrift store toys, blankets, and worn stuffed animals, works like the Half a Man series are great examples of the artist's long investigation into memory and trauma. Kelley's work took many forms and transcended numerous genres and styles: from drawing, assemblage, found objects and collage to sculpture, performance and video. Kelley also worked on curatorial projects, collaborated with many other artists and musicians and left behins a formidable body of critical and creative writing. Blending appropriation, formal abstraction, conceptualism and low or ‘trash’culture he helped develop and pioneer the bridging of critical perspectives on mass culture with an intimate knowledge and affection for kitsch to high-art institutions and galleries. 

Online Viewing Room - FOCUS: MIKE KELLEY: GARBAGE DRAWINGS