Mike Kelley American artist Date of Birth: 27.10.1954 Country: USA

Biography of Mike Kelley

Mike Kelley (Michael 'Mike' Kelley) was born in 1954 in Wayne, a working suburb of Detroit, Michigan. During his college years at the University of Michigan, Kelley developed a strong interest in music and even played in the band 'Destroy All Monsters'. After graduating from university, Mike moved to Los Angeles and became a student at the California Institute of the Arts. His mentors at the time were John Baldessari, a classic American conceptual artist, Laurie Anderson, an experimental musician, and David Askevold, a renowned experimental artist and sculptor. It is known that Mike was greatly influenced by his teachers, and he was drawn towards experimental art. It was during this period that Kelley became interested in conceptualism. In Los Angeles, he created his unique system of performances. In his peculiar presentations, sculpture played a secondary role, while the main focus was on reading and dancing. In the late 1970s, in California, he presented his first work in his own style.

Later on, Kelley created unimaginable things with his artwork. He used photographs, various objects, and black and white comic-like drawings with texts to create his installations. Soon, Mike Kelley gained a reputation as a provocateur. He often attacked American culture and commonly accepted values in his shows, sometimes evoking feelings of dislike from his audience. Not many people saw him as a true artist. Kelley referred to himself as an "anarchist of art."

Nevertheless, he continued to work, blending together painting, animation, texts, sculpture, and even old toys and handkerchiefs. Many appreciated his extraordinary ideas and freshness of thought, and by the mid-1980s, Mike Kelley was considered a talented and recognized artist. However, his work was not understood by the masses, which he did not expect. "I decided to become an artist because I wanted to be a failure. In my youth, there was no better way to become an outcast than to become an artist," he confessed.

His exhibitions took place at the Whitney Museum in New York City and Larry Gagosian Gallery in London. His work titled 'Day is Done' was featured on the album cover of 'Dirty' by the band 'Sonic Youth' in 1992. He participated in group exhibitions, and his solo shows were held not only in the United States but also in Barcelona, Venice, London, and other European cities. Remarkably, Mike Kelley's works continued to provoke feelings in the audience, sometimes close to disgust. He included videos with sadomasochistic scenes in his shows, and many of his works bordered on perversion.

On January 31, 2012, at the age of 57, Mike Kelley was found dead in his home in South Pasadena, California. According to official information, his death was a result of suicide. Police were called to the scene by one of Mike's friends who reported being unable to reach him. The friend also mentioned that Mike had been depressed lately due to a disagreement with a woman. No suicide note was found in the artist's home, and the official cause of death will be determined after the necessary forensic procedures.