Mark Leckey's Giant Inflatable Felix at Marciano Art Foundation
At the Marciano Art Foundation in Los Angeles, a thirty-one-foot inflatable sculpture of Felix the Cat, crafted by British artist Mark Leckey, is currently on display. Titled Inflatable Felix, the piece features the cartoon character lounging on the gallery floor in a relaxed manner. Leckey links Felix to the inaugural experimental television broadcast from 1928, emphasizing that Felix's image continues to travel through space at light speed. He sees Felix as a symbol of the contemporary era, characterized by rapid and vast transmission of images and information. Born in 1964 in Birkenhead, UK, Leckey is renowned for his multimedia explorations of popular culture and technology. His earlier works, including Felix Gets Broadcasted (2008), also feature Felix. The inflatable sculpture, created between 2013 and 2014, reaches approximately 10 meters tall when inflated but is often displayed in a deflated state, merging whimsy with a sense of sadness.
Key facts
- Mark Leckey's Inflatable Felix is a 31-foot inflatable sculpture of Felix the Cat.
- The sculpture is exhibited at the Marciano Art Foundation in Los Angeles.
- Felix the Cat was the subject of the first experimental television broadcast in 1928.
- Leckey describes Felix as an avatar of the modern world.
- Leckey is a British artist born in 1964 in Birkenhead, UK.
- He won the Turner Prize in 2008 for Industrial Light and Magic.
- Inflatable Felix was created in 2013–2014.
- The sculpture is often shown slumped or deflated on the gallery floor.
Entities
Artists
- Mark Leckey
Institutions
- Marciano Art Foundation
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Birkenhead
- United Kingdom