Mike Kelly Retrospect at MoMA PS1

I was fortunate enough to catch the Mike Kelley retrospect at PS1 during a quick visit to NYC (a place I've quickly made my home, until a force misaligned the cosmos and pulled me back to Ohio for I guess the stagnant era of my life - but that's another tale to later tell).  Housing over 250 of Kelley's works throughout his art career up until he took his own life in 2012, this is the biggest solo exhibit to date of the late artist. I've been anticipating this show since walking to the M lines from the René Magritte exhibit at MoMA (another fantastic show), during which I saw the Ahh... Youth piece encased and lit in a glass adspace.

Of the pop culture artists in the past century, Kelley strikes me as a personal favorite. Going through his adult years in the SoCal punk scene in which he has both contributed to and was inspired by, the artist's works seem to have been conceived in dreams behind a stack of comics he carried past his childhood and abandoned finds he picked up as life passes through storefronts and streets. He's not reminiscing on wonders and curiosities of the past, but rather deconstructing and reexamining objects and concepts that earmarked his life. It's often cited that his odd complementary pairings of visuals, audios, and various media tend to create discomfort, but one shouldn't get too shapeshifted over a more adulterated look at puppet shows, play space, school banners, and the life and landscapes of Krypton.

Looking at Kelley's works made me want to extend a hand to my own memories and see what all that was means to me now. Guess that explains what I'm doing in the photo above, with number two being provoking museum security to roll their eyes at my peculiar approach to viewing art.

I HIGHLY recommend checking out his show before it ends on February 2nd. I also highly recommend going alone (which I often do on museum excursions) or with one person (if you have no choice because a) you can't shake the individual off, or b) he/she is paying or has a museum pass that grants them a +1) because the retrospect takes up the entire museum and features videos that go from 7 minute shorts to the "Day Is Done" feature film in the MoMA PS1 dome. I add this caution as learning from a grave mistake I've made: not realizing the exhibit took up the entire museum and attending on the 2 hours I could afford before leaving town.