MIKE KELLEY AT POMPIDOU CENTRE

The first French retrospective devoted to the work of the subversive American artist Mike Kelley opens today at the Centre Pompidou. Born in Detroit in 1954, Kelley died from an apparent suicide in January 2012, leaving behind a complex, protean and disturbing oeuvre, drawing upon both high culture and popular culture. After a first stop at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, this exceptional retrospective, designed in collaboration with the Mike Kelley Foundation for Arts, will next be presented at New York’s PS1 and the Los Angeles MoCA. The layout of the Centre Pompidou’s exhibition revolves around the highlights of the artist’s production, created between 1974 and 2011. The large installations, such as The Poetics Project (with Tony Oursler), 1977-97, are faced with more intimate series of works, in particular on paper, from European and American collections. From the first performance pieces created in Cal Arts, the famous Los Angeles art school, to the amazingly rich graphic work, including the spectacular systems in which the artist uses all techniques (video, photography, odd objects…), Mike Kelley’s work spreads out in a striking visual and sound itinerary.
Until 5 Aug. 11am-9pm. (11pm Thu). Closed Tue. 13€/ 11€
Centre Pompidou, rue Beaubourg, 4th. M° Hôtel de Ville or Rambuteau. www.centrepompidou.fr/

Mike Kelley, ‘Banana Man Costume’, 1981. Courtesy Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts

‘Catholic Birdhouse’, 1978. Private collection, New York. Courtesy Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts

Mike Kelley, du 2 mai au 5 août 2013 par centrepompidou