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Mike Kelley

Kandor 10/Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34 | Kandor 12/Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35

January 11–February 17, 2011
Beverly Hills

Mike Kelley: Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley:

Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34
Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35
Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley: Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley:

Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34
Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35
Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley: Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley:

Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34
Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35
Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley: Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley:

Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34
Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35
Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley: Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley:

Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34
Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35
Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley: Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley:

Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34
Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35
Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley: Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley:

Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34
Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35
Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley: Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley:

Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34
Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35
Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley: Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley:

Kandor 10 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34
Kandor 12 / Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35
Installation view, photo by Fredrik Nilsen

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Works Exhibited

Mike Kelley, Kandor 10 A, 2010 Foam coated with Elastomer blown glass with water based resin coating, wood, Enamel Urethane rubber, acrylic paint, lighting fixtures, clothing and Lenticular 10, 11 × 16 × 12 feet overall (3.4 × 4.9 × 3.7 m)Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Kandor 10 A, 2010

Foam coated with Elastomer blown glass with water based resin coating, wood, Enamel Urethane rubber, acrylic paint, lighting fixtures, clothing and Lenticular 10, 11 × 16 × 12 feet overall (3.4 × 4.9 × 3.7 m)
Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Kandor 10 A, 2010 (detail) Foam coated with Elastomer blown glass with water based resin coating, wood, Enamel Urethane rubber, acrylic paint, lighting fixtures, clothing and Lenticular 10, 11 × 16 × 12 feet overall (3.4 × 4.9 × 3.7 m)Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Kandor 10 A, 2010 (detail)

Foam coated with Elastomer blown glass with water based resin coating, wood, Enamel Urethane rubber, acrylic paint, lighting fixtures, clothing and Lenticular 10, 11 × 16 × 12 feet overall (3.4 × 4.9 × 3.7 m)
Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Kandor 10 A, 2010 (detail) Foam coated with Elastomer blown glass with water based resin coating, wood, Enamel Urethane rubber, acrylic paint, lighting fixtures, clothing and Lenticular 10, 11 × 16 × 12 feet overall (3.4 × 4.9 × 3.7 m)Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Kandor 10 A, 2010 (detail)

Foam coated with Elastomer blown glass with water based resin coating, wood, Enamel Urethane rubber, acrylic paint, lighting fixtures, clothing and Lenticular 10, 11 × 16 × 12 feet overall (3.4 × 4.9 × 3.7 m)
Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Extracurricular Projective Reconstruction #34 (The King and Us/The Queens and Me), 2010 Photo by Jennie Warren. Courtesy Mike Kelley

Mike Kelley, Extracurricular Projective Reconstruction #34 (The King and Us/The Queens and Me), 2010

Photo by Jennie Warren. Courtesy Mike Kelley

Mike Kelley, Kandor 18B, 2010 Foam coated with Elastomer, blown glass with water-based resin coating, tinted Urethane resin, wood, found objects, lighting fixture, 87 × 36 × 48 inches (221 × 91.4 × 121.9 cm)Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Kandor 18B, 2010

Foam coated with Elastomer, blown glass with water-based resin coating, tinted Urethane resin, wood, found objects, lighting fixture, 87 × 36 × 48 inches (221 × 91.4 × 121.9 cm)
Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Kandor 18B, 2010 (detail) Foam coated with Elastomer, blown glass with water-based resin coating, tinted Urethane resin, wood, found objects, lighting fixture, 87 × 36 × 48 inches (221 × 91.4 × 121.9 cm)Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Kandor 18B, 2010 (detail)

Foam coated with Elastomer, blown glass with water-based resin coating, tinted Urethane resin, wood, found objects, lighting fixture, 87 × 36 × 48 inches (221 × 91.4 × 121.9 cm)
Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Kandor 19 B, 2010 Foam coated with Elastomer, blown glass with water-based resin coating, tinted Urethane resin, wood, found objects, lighting fixture, 31 ½ × 49 × 43 inches overall (80 × 124.5 × 109.2 cm)Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Kandor 19 B, 2010

Foam coated with Elastomer, blown glass with water-based resin coating, tinted Urethane resin, wood, found objects, lighting fixture, 31 ½ × 49 × 43 inches overall (80 × 124.5 × 109.2 cm)
Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Kandor 19 B, 2010 (detail) Foam coated with Elastomer, blown glass with water-based resin coating, tinted Urethane resin, wood, found objects, lighting fixture, 31 ½ × 49 × 43 inches overall (80 × 124.5 × 109.2 cm)Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Kandor 19 B, 2010 (detail)

Foam coated with Elastomer, blown glass with water-based resin coating, tinted Urethane resin, wood, found objects, lighting fixture, 31 ½ × 49 × 43 inches overall (80 × 124.5 × 109.2 cm)
Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Odalisque, 2010 Foam coated with Elastomer, wood, aluminum, wig, found objects, velvet, cotton batting, 56 × 115 × 30 inches overall (142.2 × 292.1 × 76.2 cm)Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Odalisque, 2010

Foam coated with Elastomer, wood, aluminum, wig, found objects, velvet, cotton batting, 56 × 115 × 30 inches overall (142.2 × 292.1 × 76.2 cm)
Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Memory Ware #61, 2010 Foam, tinted resin, found jewelry, coffee pot, plastic toys, 47 × 81 × 12 ½ inches overall (119.4 × 205.7 × 31.8 cm)Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Memory Ware #61, 2010

Foam, tinted resin, found jewelry, coffee pot, plastic toys, 47 × 81 × 12 ½ inches overall (119.4 × 205.7 × 31.8 cm)
Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Lenticular 10, 2010 Lenticular panel, light box, 51 15 1/6 × 45 ¾ × 3 ½ inches (129.5 × 0.4 × 116.2 cm), edition of 5Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Lenticular 10, 2010

Lenticular panel, light box, 51 15 1/6 × 45 ¾ × 3 ½ inches (129.5 × 0.4 × 116.2 cm), edition of 5
Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Kandor 12 A (green screen), 2010 Tinted Urethane resin, steel, blown glass with water-based resin coating wood, enamel paint, silicone rubber, acrylic paint, lighting fixture and Lenticular 12, 126 × 202 × 276 inches overall (320 × 513.1 × 701 cm)Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Kandor 12 A (green screen), 2010

Tinted Urethane resin, steel, blown glass with water-based resin coating wood, enamel paint, silicone rubber, acrylic paint, lighting fixture and Lenticular 12, 126 × 202 × 276 inches overall (320 × 513.1 × 701 cm)
Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Harem Night Scene, 2010 EAPR #34 lenticular and pillows, Dimensions variablePhoto by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Harem Night Scene, 2010

EAPR #34 lenticular and pillows, Dimensions variable
Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Mexican Blind Cave Worm, 2010 Soft sculpture and Corona beer, Dimensions variablePhoto by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Mexican Blind Cave Worm, 2010

Soft sculpture and Corona beer, Dimensions variable
Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34 (The King and Us/The Queens and Me) (Harem), 2010 Wood, acrylic paint, found objects, silicone, metal, video, 2 monitors and EAPR #34, Dimensions variablePhoto by Fredrik Nilsen

Mike Kelley, Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34 (The King and Us/The Queens and Me) (Harem), 2010

Wood, acrylic paint, found objects, silicone, metal, video, 2 monitors and EAPR #34, Dimensions variable
Photo by Fredrik Nilsen

About

Gagosian Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new large-scale sculptures and videos by Mike Kelley. This is Kelley’s first exhibition with the gallery in Los Angeles.

Kelley has made nostalgia, memory, and repression in everyday life the topics of his idiosyncratic sculptures, performances, paintings, and installations, which conflate vernacular sources and high modernist aesthetics. A veteran of the Los Angeles conceptual art scene, Kelley uses deconstructive strategies in order to challenge the established norms of contemporary culture, both high and low.

In the current exhibition, Kelley expands on previous major projects—the Kandor series and Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction (EAPR)—combining them into one. In doing so, he breaks with his own artistic conventions, enjoying both the coherences and contradictions produced. The exhibition also includes other sculptures that utilize residual elements from the making of the Kandors as well as domestic objects, from ceramic figurines to coffee pots, which provide moments of humor and charm throughout the installation.

The Kandors, begun in 1999, are representations of Superman’s city of birth, the only remaining part of his home planet, Krypton. In the well-known comic books, Superman saved the miniaturized city in a bottle fed by a tank of atmosphere. Kandor’s depiction in these narratives is inconsistent and fragmentary, prompting Kelley to create multiple versions of it, cast in colorful resins and illuminated like reliquaries. Kandor 10, a yellow city housed in a hand-blown, pink glass bottle, is a grouping of tall skyscrapers situated within a full-scale rock grotto; Kandor 12, constructed in off-white resin and evocative of a group of chess pawns, or minarets, is encased in a shadowy brown bottle, which sits on a platform resembling a Greek column positioned in front of a chest of drawers and an illuminated translucent green wall.

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