Mike Kelley

Mike Kelley

 

            Mike Kelley was a mixed media artist from America.  He frequently used found objects and collage, as well as video.  During college and his early works, Kelley explored a wide range of mediums, but he started gaining recognition when he began using found objects.  More Love Hours Than Can Ever Be Repaid was one of his earliest works, and it contained blankets, dolls, and other soft objects on canvas to represent childhood.  Another one of his projects that lasted for several years was Kandor.  Based off of the fictional city from DC’s Superman comics, Kelley attempted to reconstruct the city of Kandor according to descriptions in the comics.  Different versions of Kandor appear throughout his series due to events that happened to the fictional Kandor, such as Kandor 10B (Exploded Fortress of Solitude).

            I was very excited to learn that Mike Kelley created a whole series of art based off of a comic book, which has inspired me to start my own series being a comic book fan myself.  I like the thought he puts into each of his Kandor pieces, and that he frequently uses the comic for detail reference.  I enjoy looking at his other mixed media projects, especially his installations.  They are very textured and appear soft.  The use of texture in art is important to me.