Mike Kelley (American, 2012)

Mike Kelley (American, 1954–2012) was regarded as one of the most influential members of the contemporary Conceptual Art movement. His multimedia work, ranging from performance and installation to painting and photography, features souvenirs of popular culture, such as stuffed animals or crocheted couch throws, evoking an atmosphere of the uncanny. In his postmodern world, the high and low are combined in philosophical investigations of contemporary society, joined with a 1950s comic book style, creating absurd, sometimes humorous portrayals of the American middle class and its conceptions of the normative.

Kelley studied at the University of Michigan and at the California Institute of the Arts, and was influenced by 1960s Conceptual artists. In the early 1970s, he formed his own rock band, and staged performances including photographs, objects, and drawings. In the mid-1980s, Kelley continued using found objects in his installations and focused on psychological issues in his work, treating topics such as abuse and repression as the traumatic remains of a dysfunctional society. Themes of biography and autobiography became increasingly important in his work in the 1990s. Kelley participated in documenta 9 and 10 in Kassel, Germany, and has held solo shows at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Tate Liverpool, and at the Louvre in Paris. Kelley also received attention for his work as an art and music critic, and as a curator of numerous exhibitions.

Kelley died in Los Angeles at the age of 57.

Timeline

1954
Born in Detroit, MI
1976
BFA, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
1978
MFA, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA
1997
Awarded Skowhegan Medal for Mixed Media
2012
Died in Los Angeles, CA

Exhibitions

2013
Mike Kelley: Themes and Variations from 35 Years, The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (solo)
2012
Mike Kelley: Themes and Variations from 35 Years, The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (solo)
2012
Memory Ware Flats, Skarstedt Gallery, New York, NY (solo)
2012
Whitney Biennial, The Whitney Museum, New York
2011
Museum der Wünsch/Museum of Desires: Jeff Wall, Louise Lawler, Mike Kelley, Isa Genzken, Franz West, Stephen Prina, Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Vienna, Austria
2011
Rear Window: Brought to you in high-def, Patrick Painter Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2011
David Askevold: The Disorientation Scientist, Camden Arts Centre, London, United Kingdom
2011
Unpainted Paintings, Luxembourg & Dayan, New York City, New York
2011
Zwei Sammler: Thomas Olbricht und Harald Falckenberg, Halle für aktuelle Kunst, Deichtorhallen, Hamburg, Germany
2011
The Luminous Interval, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain
2011
Power to the Imagination – Artists, Posters and Politics, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany
2011
The Spectacular Vernacular, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. Travel to: Contemporary Arts Museum Houston; Montclair Art Museum, Houston; Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina, NC
2011
Made in Italy, Gagosian Gallery, Rome
2011
Kandor 12/ Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #35, Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills, CA (solo)
2011
Mike Kelley: Kandor 10/ Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstruction #34 (solo)
2011
Mike Kelley: Exploded Fortress of Solitude, Gagosian Gallery, London, UK (solo)
2011
Let the Healing Begin, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia
2011
Heinz and Marianne Ebers Foundation: A Collection with Stature, Museum Haus Lange, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Krefeld, Germany
2010
Medium: Photography, Patrick Painter Inc., Los Angeles, CA
2010
Summer Shows, Gagosian Gallery, New York, NY
2010
A Voyage of Growth and Discovery, West of Rome Public Art presented at The Farley Building, Los Angeles, CA
2010
Crash: Homage to JG Ballard, Gagosian Gallery, London, UK
2010
Martin Kippenberger + Mike Kelley, Galeria Juana de Aizpuru, Madrid, Spain
2010
Meet Me Inside, Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills, CA
2010
Mike Kelley: Arenas, Skarstedt Gallery, New York, NY (solo)
2009
Mike Kelley: Day is Done Judson Church Dance, Judson Memorial Church, New York, NY (solo)
2009
Mike Kelley: Horizontal Tracking Shots, Gagosian Gallery, New York, 24th Street, NY (solo)
2009
A Voyage of Growth and Discovery, Sculpture Center, Long Island City, New York, NY
2009
A Certain State of the World ? Garage Center for Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russa
2009
Bijoux de Famille, Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris, France
2009
Mike Kelley/Terence Koh/Jeff Koons, Mary Boone Gallery, New York, NY
2009
Richard Prince, Martin Kippenberger, Mike Kelley, Skarstedt Gallery, New York, NY
2009
Regift, Swiss Institute, New York, NY
2008
Mike Kelley: 1018 Art, New York, Ny (solo)
2008
Mike Kelley Educational Complex Onwards: 1995-2008, (curated by Anne Pontégnie), Wiels, Brussels, Belgium (solo)
2008
Life on Mars, 55th Carnegie International, Pittsburgh, PA
2008
for what you are about to receive, Gagosian Gallery, Moscow
2008
Prefab, Gagosian Gallery, Madison Avenue, New York, NY
2008
Painting Now and Forever, Part II, Matthew Marks Gallery and Greene Naftali Gallery, New York, NY
2008
Paul Thek in the Context of Today’s Contemporary Art, ZKM Museum of Contemporary Art, Karlsruhe, Germany. Travel to: Sammlung Falckenberg Hamburg, Germany
2008
Martian Museum of Terrestrial Art, Barbican Centre, London, England
2008
Jedermann Collection – Set 5 from the Fotomuseum Winterthur Collection, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Zurich
2008
Adotta un Disegno (Adopt a Drawing), Complesso del Vittoriano, Rome. Travelled to: Palazzo Ducale, Genoa, Italy
2008
Wako Works of Art: 15 Years / Part IV, Wako Works of Art, Tokyo
2008
The Puppet Show, ICA-Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
2008
Jesuvian Process, Elizabeth Dee Gallery, New York City, NY
2008
California Video, The Getty Center, Los Angeles, CA
2008
Slightly Unbalanced, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago. Travelled to: Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, West Virginia; Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, Lafayette, LA
2008
Color Chart: Reinventing Color, 1950 to Today, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
2008
BCAM, Broad Contemporary Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
2008
Do Not Play with Dead Things, Centre National d’Art Contemporain, Villa Arson, Nice, France
2008
Disorderly Conduct: Recent Art in Tumultuous Times, Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA
2008
Colateral 2: Quando a arte olha o cinema, SESC (Serviço Social do Comércio) Avenida Paulista, São Paolo, Brazil
2008
Eyes Wide Open, Stedelijk Museum CS, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2007
Kandors, Jablonka Galerie, Berlin
2007
Kandor Con 2000, Jablonka Galerie, Berlin
2007
Eyes Wide Open - New to the Stedelijk & The Monique Zajfen Collection, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Amsterdam
2007
XMAS HYSTERIA, Galleria Emi Fontana, Milan
2006
Les artistes américains et le Louvre, La Louvre, Paris, France
2005
Galleri Skarstedt, Stockholm, Sweden
2005
Day is Done, Gagosian Gallery, New York, NY
2004
Mike Kelley: The Uncanny, Tate Liverpool, Liverpool, England; Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Vienna, Austria
2003
Mike Kelley: Memory Ware, Wood Grain, Carpet, Galleria Emi Fontana, Milan, Italy
2003
'Drawings,' Metro Pictures, New York
2003
'Capp Street Project: 20th Anniversary Exhibition,' CCAC Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, Logan Galleries, California College of Arts and Crafts, San Francisco
2002
'Sonic Process,' Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
2002
'The Object Sculpture,' Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, England (cat.)
2002
'Video Acts,' P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, New York (cat.)
2002
'Mike Kelley' Selected Works 1982-1990,î Skarstedt Fine Art, New York
2002
'Test Room Containing Multiple Stimuli Known to Elicit Curiosity and Manipulatory Responses' Art & Public, Geneva, Switzerland
2002
Scene of the Crime, Armand Hammer Museum of Fine Art Los Angeles, CA

2002
Black Out, Patrick Painter Inc., Santa Monica, California
2002
2002 Biennial Exhibition, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York
2002
Brazil Sod and Sodie Sock, Brazil
2002
Reversals, Recyclings, Completions, and Late Additions, Metro Pictures,
2001
Memory Ware, Jablonka Galerie, Cologne, Germany
2001
'Aerodynamic Vertical to Horizontal Shift,' Sperone Jr., Rome
2001
'Almost Warm & Fuzzy,' P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, New York; Centre Cultural de la FundaciÛ ìla Caixaî, Barcelona (cat.)
2001
'Collaborations with Parkett: 1984 to Now,' Museum of Modern Art, New York (cat.)
2001
'American Art,' Galerie Rudolfinum, The Centre of Contemporary Art, Prague, Czech Republic (cat.)
2001
'Artists Take on Detroit,' The Detroit Institute of Arts, Michigan
2000
'Unisex Love Nest,' Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne
2000
'Categorical Imperative and Morgue', Van Abbemuseum, Stedelijk, Eindhoven
1999
Metro Pictures New York, NY
1999
Patrick Painter Incorporated Santa Monica, CA
1999
Kunstverein Braunschweig, Germany
1999
Mike Kelley: Framed and Framed, Test Room, Sublevel, MAGASIN: Centre National d'Art Contemporain de Grenoble, Grenoble, France
1999
...on the sublime..., Rooseum Malmo, Sweden
1999
Six Americans, Starstedt Fine Arts New York, NY
1999
Drawn by..., Metro Pictures New York, NY
1999
Moving Images, Galerie fur Zeitgenossische Kunst, Leipzig Braunschweig, Germany
1998
Out of Actions: Between Performance and the Object, 1949-1979 (exh.cat.), Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, CA
1998
Out of Actions: Between Performance and the Object, 1949-1979, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, CA
1998
The Poetics Project (with Tony Oursler), Lehmann Maupin New York, NY
1998
Presumed Innocence, Anderson Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
1998
Emotion, Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Germany
1998
LA Times, Palazzo Re Rebaudengo Guarene, Italy
1998
Plaisir deplaisir, Musee d'art Contemporain de Bordeaux Bordeaux, France
1998
The Poetics Project: 1977-1997 (Barcelona version), Lehmann Maupin New York, NY
1998
The Poetics Project (Documenta Version) (collaboration with Tony Oursler), Metro Pictures New York, NY
1998
Sublevel, Jablonka Galerie Köln, Germany
1998
The Poetics Project: 1977-1997 (Barcelona version), Metro Pictures New York, NY
1997
Plato's Cave, Rothko's Chapel, Lincoln's Profile, Wako Works of Art Tokyo, Japan
1997
The Poetics Project 1977-1997 (collaboration with Tony Oursler), Documenta X Kassel, Germany
1997
Museu D'art Contemporani Barcelona, Spain
1997
Center for Contemporary Art Malmo, Sweden
1997
Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum Eindhoven, The Netherlands
1997
Making it Real (Organized by ICI), The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art Ridgefield, CT
1997
Educational Complex, Generali Foundation Vienna, Austria
1997
Laying Low: Postminimalism/Scatter Art (exh. cat.), Kunstnernes Hus Wergelandsveien, Oslo, Norway
1997
The Age of Modernism, Art in the 20th Century (CD-ROM), Zeitgeist-Gesellschaft Berlin, Germany
1997
Gothic (exh. cat.), The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, MA
1997
:Engel: Engel, Kunsthalle Wien, Galerie Rudolfinum Prag (exh.cat)
1997
Display, The Charlottenborg Exhibition Hall Copenhagen, Denmark
1997
Someone else with my fingerprints, David Zwirner New York, NY
1997
American Stories: Amidst Displacement and Transformation, Setagaya Art Museum Tokyo, Japan
1997
Sunshine & Noir, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Humlebaek, Denmark
1997
The Poetics Project (collaboration with Mike Kelley), Watari-um, the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Japan
1996
Everything that's interesting is new: The Dakis Joannou Collection, Athens School of Fine Arts,
1996
L'Informe: le Modernisme a Rebours (exh. cat.), Centre Georges Pompidou National d'Art Moderne, Paris, France
1996
DISTEMPER: Dissonant Themes in the Art of the 1990s (exh. cat.), Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Washington, D.C.
1996
Multiple Pleasure, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery New York, NY
1996
Controfigura, Studio Guenzani Milan, Italy
1996
L'Informe: le Modernisme a Rebours, Centre Georges Pompidou Musee National d'Art Moderne, Paris, France
1996
Art at Home: Ideal Standard Life (exh. cat.), Sprial Garden Tokyo, Japan
1996
The Comic Depiction of Sex in American Art, Galerie Im Haus 19, Galerie Andreas Binder Munich, Germany
1996
Family Values: American Art in the Eighties and Nineties, (exh. cat.), Hamburg Kunsthalle Hamburg, Germany
1996
Playpen & Corpus Delirium, Kunsthalle Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
1996
Is It Art, Katonah Museum of Art Katonah, NY
1996
a/drift: Scenes From the Penetrable Culture, Bard College Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
1996
Shift, Eine Austellung der Neuen Gesellscaft fur Bildende Berlin, Germany
1996
Romper Room, Thread Waxing Space New York, NY
1996
Land-O-Lakes, Wako Works of Art, Nishi-shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo, Japan
1995
The Thirteen Seasons (Heavy on the Winter) (exh. cat), Galerie Jablonka Cologne, Germany
1995
Missing Time: Works on Paper 1974-1976 Reconsidered, Kestner-Gesellschaft Hannover, Germany
1995
Toward a Utopian Arts Complex, Metro Pictures New York, NY
1995
In a Different Light, University Art Museum Berkeley, CA
1995
Paul McCarthy/Mike Kelley, Hamburg Kunstverein Hamburg, Germany
1995
ARS 95 Helsinki, Museum of Contemporary Art Helsinki, Finland
1995
Abstract Photographs, The Baltimore Museum of Art Baltimore, MD
1995
Zeichen & Wunder, Kunsthaus Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
1995
Komix, Brooke Alexander Editions New York, NY
1995
do it, Center for Contemporary Art Glasgow, Scotland
1995
XL, Galerie Borgmann Capitain Cologne, Germany
1995
FeminiMasculin: Le Sexe de l'Art?, Musee National d'Art Moderne Paris, France
1995
It's Only Rock and Roll, Contemporary Arts Center Cincinnati, OH
1995
On Beauty, curated by Dan Cameron, , Regina Gallery Moscow, Russia
1995
Passions Privées, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris Paris, France
1995
Playtime: Artists and Toys (exh. cat.), Whitney Museum of American Art Champion, Stamford, CT
1995
Retinal Circus, Copenhagen Artshows Cophenhagen, Denmark
1994
Radical Scavenger(s): The Conceptual Vernacular in Recent American Art (exh. cat.), Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, IL
1994
(Cut)-Los Angeles-90s Art Scene (exh.cat.), Kunstforeningen Denmark
1994
World Morality in High Art, Kunsthalle Basel Basel, Switzerland
1994
Drawing: Reaffirming the Media, University of Missouri Missouri
1994
Arrested Childhood (exh.cat.), Center of Contemporary Art North Miami, FL
1994
Cloaca Maxima, Museum der Stadtentwasserung Zurich, Switzerland
1994
Spielverderber, Forum Stadtpark Graz Graz, Austria
1994
Transformers: The Art of Multiphrenia, Bard Center for Curatorial Studies Bard College, ICI, New York, NY
1994
DasAmericas (exh.cat.), Isabella Prata Consultoria de Arte São Paulo, Brazil
1994
It's a Tough World Out There: Drawings by Mike Kelley, Joyce Pensato and Raymond Pettiborne, Saint Louis Art Museum Saint Louis, MO
1994
Hors Limites - L'Art et La Vie, Centre Georges Pompidou Paris, France
1994
Oh Boy, It's a Girl: Feminismen in der Kunst (exh.cat.), Kunstverein Munich Munich, Germany
1994
Temporary Translation(s): Sammlung Schurmann (exh.cat.), Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Germany
1994
Rosamund Felsen Gallery Los Angeles, CA
1993
Museum of Art Los Angeles, CA
1993
The Haus der Kunst Munich, Germany
1993
1993 Biennial Exhibition, The Whitney Museum of American Art New York, NY
1993
American Art of this Century, Martin-Gropius-Bau Berlin, Germany
1993
Kustom Kulture, Laguna Art Museum Laguna Beach, CA
1993
Abject Art, Whitney Museum of American Art New York, NY
1993
Mike Kelley and Tony Oursler: Installation-Video, Centre d'Art Contemporain Geneva, Switzerland
1993
The Uncanny, organized by Mike Kelley for Sonsbeek '93, Gemeentemuseum Arnhem, The Netherlands
1993
The Language of Art, Kunsthalle Wien Vienna, Austria
1993
Tables: Selections from the Lannan Foundation Collection, Lannan Foundation Los Angeles, CA
1993
Whitney Museum of American Art New York, NY
1992
Institute of Contemporary Art London, The United Kingdom
1992
Metro Pictures New York, NY
1992
Helter Skelter, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, CA
1992
Songs of Innocence/Songs of Experience, The Whitney Museum of American Art New York, NY
1992
Recent Narrative Sculpture, Milwaukee Art Museum Milwaukee, WI
1992
Documenta IX, Kassel, Germany
1992
Knowledge: Aspects of Contemporary Art, University Art Museum Santa Barbara, CA
1992
Doubletake: Collective Memory and Current Art, Hayward Gallery London, England
1992
Allegories of Modernism: Contemporary Drawings, Museum of Modern Art New York, NY
1992
Post Human, Musée d'Art Contemporain Pully/Lausanne, Switzerland
1992
Metro Pictures New York, NY
1992
Ars Pro Domo, Museum Ludwig Cologne, Germany
1992
, Metro Pictures New York, NY
1992
American Art of the Eighties (exh.cat.), Museo d' Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento Trento, Italy
1992
Dirty Data, Schürmann Sammlung Aachen, Germany
1992
Re: Framing Cartoons, Wexner Art Center, Ohio State University Columbus, OH
1992
Désordres, Galerie Nationale Du Jeu de Paume Paris, France
1992
LAX (exh.cat.), Paul McCarthy, Galerie Krinzinger Vienna, Austria
1992
Not For Sale, Tel Aviv Museum of Art Israel
1992
Basel Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland
1992
Musée d'art contemporain Bordeaux, France
1992
Alma Pater, Portikus Frankfurt, Germany
1992
Metro Pictures New York, NY
1992
Rosamund Felsen Gallery Los Angeles, CA
1992
Beat of the Traps, Stephen Prina an, Gingi Auditorium, Wiener Festwochen Los Angeles, Vienna
1991
Theory, Garbage, Stuffed Animals, Christ #2, Beyond Baroque Literary/Arts Center Venice, CA
1991
3 Blowhards and a Little Lady, Beyond Baroque Literary/Arts Center Venice, CA
1991
Galeria Juana de Aizpuru Madrid, Spain
1991
Galerie Jablonka Cologne, Germany
1991
Lumpenprol, Galerie Peter Pakesch Vienna, Austria
1991
Savage Garden, Fundacion Caja de Pensiones Madrid, Spain
1991
California Artists: William T. Wiley, Mike Kelley, Brad Dunning, Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art Ridgefield, CT
1991
Carroll Dunham, Mike Kelley, Cindy Sherman, Metro Pictures New York, NY
1991
Enclosure, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery Los Angeles, CA
1991
1991 Biennial Exhibition, The Whitney Museum of American Art New York, NY
1991
Anni Novanta, Galleria Comunale d'Arte Moderna Bologna, Italy
1991
Individual Realities, Sezon Museum of Art Tokyo, Japan
1991
The Kelly Family, Galerie Esther Schipper Cologne, Germany
1991
Body/Language, Lannan Foundation Los Angeles, CA
1991
Metropolis, Martin-Gropius-Bau Berlin, Germany
1991
Devil on the Stairs: Looking Back on the Eighties, ICA Philadelphia, PA
1991
Mike Kelley: Half a Man, Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Washington, D.C.
1990
Viewpoints towards the 90s: Three Artists from Metro Pictures Part II, Seibu Contemporary Art Gallery Tokyo, Japan
1990
Lotte or the Transformation of the Object, Grazer Kunstverein Graz, Austria
1990
, Galerie Ghislaine Hussenot Paris, France
1990
Editionen, Galerie Gisela Capitain Cologne, Germany
1990
Drawings, Metro Pictures New York, NY
1990
Jessica Diamond, Mike Kelley, Interim Art London, England
1990
Mike Kelley, Tim Robbins and K.O.S., Meyer Vaisman, Jay Gorney Modern Art New York, NY
1990
Figuring the Body, The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, MA
1990
Word as Image, Milwaukee Art Museum Milwaukee, WI
1990
Just Pathetic, Rosamund Felsen Gallery Los Angeles, CA
1990
Le desenchatement du monde, Villa Arson Nice, France
1990
Metro Pictures New York, NY
1990
Rosamund Felsen Gallery Los Angeles, CA
1989
Rosamund Felsen Gallery Los Angeles, CA
1989
Why I Got Into Art: Vaseline Muses, Galerie Jablonka Cologne, Germany
1989
Pansy Metal/Clovered Hoof, Metro Pictures New York, NY
1989
Robbin Lockett Gallery Chicago, IL
1989
Galerie Peter Pakesch Vienna, Austria
1989
1989 Biennial Exhibition, The Whitney Museum of American Art New York, NY
1989
A Forest of Signs: Art in the Crisis of Representation, The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, CA
1989
The Images of American Pop Culture Today III, organized by U.S.S.O. Co., Ltd., La Foret Art Museum Tokyo, Japan
1989
What is Contemporary Art, Rooseum Malmo, Sweden
1989
Pansy Metal/Clovered Hoof, Anita Pace, Rosamund Felsen Gallery Los Angeles, CA
1989
Theory, Garbage, Stuffed Animals, Christ, Beyond Baroque Literary/Arts Center Venice, CA
1989
Jablonka Galerie, Cologne
1988
The BiNational: Art of the Late 80's, Museum of Fine Arts and Institute of Contemporary Boston, MA
1988
Aperto '88, La Biennale di Venezia Venice, Italy
1988
Recent Drawings: George Condo, Mike Kelley, Ellen Phelan, Janis Provisor, Whitney Museum of American Art New York, NY
1988
Graz 88, Stadtmuseum Graz Graz, Austria
1988
Art Against AIDS, Pacific Design Center Los Angeles, CA
1988
Cultural Participation, a Group Material installation, DIA Art Foundation New York, NY
1988
CalArts: Skeptical Belief(s), The Renaissance Society, University of Chicago Chicago, IL
1988
Striking Distance, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, CA
1988
The Renaissance Society (exh. cat.) University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
1988
Metro Pictures New York, NY
1987
Vintage Works: 1979-1986, Rosamund Felsen Gallery Los Angeles, CA
1987
Toyama Now '87, Museum of Modern Art Toyama, Japan
1986
The Peristaltic Airwaves, live radio performance, KPFK Los Angeles, CA
1986
Plato's Cave, Rothko's Chapel, Lincoln's Profile, Artists Space New York, NY
1986
Spectrum: Natural Settings, , The Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Smithsonian Washington, D.C.
1986
Poetic Resemblance, Hallwalls Buffalo, NY
1986
Individuals: A Selected History of Contemporary Art, 1945-1986, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, CA
1986
Metro Pictures New York, NY
1985
Metro Pictures (with John Miller) New York, NY
1985
Rosamund Felsen Gallery Los Angeles, CA
1985
1985 Biennial Exhibition, The Whitney Museum of American Art New York, NY
1985
Art in the Anchorage, Creative Time, Inc. New York, NY
1985
Currents 7: Works in Action, Milwaukee Art Museum Milwaukee, WI
1985
Monkey Island Part II (performed in symposium) Artificial Intelligence in the Art, #1 Brainworks, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery Theatre Los Angeles, CA
1984
The 5th Bienalle of Sydney-Private Symbol: Social Metaphor, , The Gallery of New South Wales Sydney, Austrailia
1984
Godzilla on the Beach, Bruce and Norman, Beyond Baroque Literary/Arts Center Venice, CA
1984
First Newport Biennial 1984: Los Angeles Today, Newport Harbor Art Museum Newport Beach, CA
1984
Rosamund Felsen Gallery Los Angeles, CA
1984
Metro Pictures New York, NY
1983
Rosamund Felsen Gallery Los Angeles, CA
1983
Hallwalls Buffalo, NY
1983
Confusion, L.A.C.E., Pilot 1 Theater Los Angeles, CA
1983
X-C, Tony Oursler, Beyond Baroque Literary/Arts Center Venice, CA
1983
The First Show: Painting & Sculpture from Eight Collections 1940-1980, , Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, CA
1982
Confuson, University of California San Diego, CA
1982
Monkey Island, Beyond Baroque Venice, CA
1982
The Artist in Television (telesatellite conference of live interactive collaborative performance), Mike Smith, University of California Los Angeles, CA
1982
5 from LA, University of California San Diego, CA
1982
Metro Pictures New York, NY
1981
Mizuno Gallery Los Angeles, CA
1981
Contemporary Drawings, University Art Museum Santa Barbara, CA
1981
Beware of the Dog, Mudd Club New York, NY
1981
The Monitor and the Merrimac, Hallwalls Buffalo, NY
1981
Meditation on a Can of Vernors, L.A.C.E. Los Angeles, CA
1981
Metro Pictures New York, NY
1980
Three Valleys, Foundation for Art Resources Los Angeles, CA
1980
The Parasite Lily (performance), Public Spirit: Live Art L.A. Festival Los Angeles, CA
1979
The Monitor and the Merrimac (performance), Foundation for Art Resources Los Angeles, CA
1979
The Poltergeist, collaboration with David Askevold, Foundation for Art Resources Los Angeles, CA
1979
Sound, Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, P.S.1 New York, NY
1978
Dream Lover (audio tape; The Poetics, C.L.O.S.E. Radio Art Series), Tony Oursler and, KPFK Los Angeles, CA
1978
Poetry in Motion (performance), Los Angeles County Exhibitions Los Angeles, CA
1978
Indianna, L.A.C.E. Los Angeles, CA
1978
My Space, La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art La Jolla, CA
1978
A Big Question, California State University Los Angeles, CA

Public Collections

Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, Denmark
Walker Art Center, Cincinnatti, OH
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
Baltimore Museum of Art
Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Museum für Moderner Kunst, Vienna, Austria
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY
Art Institute of Chicago

Literature

2006
Day is Done, Gagosian Gallery, New York, NY
2004
Welchman, John C. (ed.) Mike Kelley: Minor Histories. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2004.
2003
Welchman, John C. (ed.) Foul Perfection: Essays & Criticism. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2003
2003
Diedrich Diederichsen, 'A Fanís Notes,' Artforum, January, pp. 33-4
2003
Edward Leffingwell, 'Mike Kelley at Metro Pictures,' Art in America, April, pp. 134
2003
'Mike Kelley Talks to Dennis Cooper,' interview with Dennis Cooper, Artforum, April, pp 224-5, 255
2002
'Mike Kelley' Memory Ware, Jablonka Galerie, Cologne
2002
'Obscured Visions,' introduction by Robert Storr, (interview), Artforum, March, pp. 114-9
2002
Christopher Knight, 'Dredging Up a Sense of Adolescent Place,' Los Angeles Times, May 17, pp. F26
2001
Parkett: Collaborations and Editions Since 1984, Parkett Publishers, New York, pp. 31
2001
Retorn Al PaÌs de les Meravelles [Almost Warm & Fuzzy], Cultural de la FundaciÛ ìla Caixaî, Barcelona Art Now, Burkhard Riemschneider and Uta Grosenick ed., Taschen, Cologne, pp. 84-5
2001
American Art, Galerie Rudolfinum, The Centre of Contemporary Art, Prague, Czech Republic American Visionaries, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, pp. 162
1999
Aupetitallot, Yves. Mike Kelley. MAGASIN - Centre National d'Art Contemporain de Grenoble, France, 1999. Essays by Mike Kelley and Laurence A. Rickels.
1999
Kelley, Mike. Mike Kelley. Phaidon Press Ltd, London, England, 1999. Essays by John C. Welchman, Isabelle Graw, Anthony Vidler and Mike Kelley.
1999
Grässlin, Karola. Mike Kelley – Two Projects. Kunstverein Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany and Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, Köln, 1999. (Exh. cat.)
1997
Stals, José Lebrero, editor. Mike Kelley 1985-1996. Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, 1997. Essays by Timothy Martin, José Lebrero
1993
Sussman, Elizabeth. Mike Kelley: Catholic Tastes. Whitney Museum of American Art, and Harry M. Abrams Inc., New York, 1993. Essays by Richard Armstrong, Dennis Copper and Casey McKinney, Deidrich Diedrchsen, Jutta Keother, Martin Prinzhorn, Howard N. Fox, Colin Gardner, Kim Gordon, John G. Hanhardt, David Marsh, Timothy Martin, John Miller, Ralph Rugoff, Paul Schimmel, Howard Singerman. (Exh. cat.)