For Mike Kelley, adolescence was the forge of humanity. It was not the early childhood impressions and first impressions of upbringing that preoccupied him in his extensive artistic work, but rather the hopes and disappointments, the euphoria and depression on the threshold of adulthood. And as ghosts of youth, both ugly and helpful, they accompany the aging body throughout life. The Californian artist has devoted his intensive career to carefully observing these phenomena and addressing them artistically. This is one of the reasons why the major retrospective in the NRW Art Collection in Düsseldorf is titled “Ghost and Spirit”.
Exhibition by the US artist Mike Kelley in Düsseldorf: How to grow up – culture
