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Mike Kelley's Comprehensive Retrospective at LA MoCA Highlights Video Installations and Personal Politics

exhibition · 2026-04-22

Between March 31 and July 28, 2014, Los Angeles' Museum of Contemporary Art hosted a comprehensive retrospective of Mike Kelley at its Geffen Contemporary location, a repurposed warehouse in Little Tokyo with 40,000 square feet of space. Curated by Bennett Simpson, this exhibition surpassed previous displays at MoMA PS1, the Centre Pompidou, and the Stedelijk Museum, where Ann Goldstein first curated it in 2012 with contributions from the Mike Kelley Foundation. The Geffen’s expansive layout allowed for immersive video installations, creating an overwhelming sensory experience with vibrant lights and ambient sounds. Kelley's works, such as Day is Done (2005-2006) and From My Institution to Yours (1987/2003), delve into themes of repressed memory, labor politics, and childhood, while his Kandors series (1999–2011) illustrates Superman's diminished home planet in bell jars, symbolizing nostalgia and failure. The exhibition highlights Kelley's personal and political engagements, setting him apart from contemporaries like Richard Prince and Louise Lawler.

Key facts

  • Mike Kelley's retrospective ran from March 31 to July 28, 2014 at LA MoCA's Geffen Contemporary
  • The exhibition was organized by Bennett Simpson and held in a 40,000-square-foot former warehouse in Little Tokyo
  • It was more comprehensive than previous iterations at MoMA PS1, Centre Pompidou, and Stedelijk Museum
  • Ann Goldstein first organized the show in 2012 at the Stedelijk Museum in consultation with the Mike Kelley Foundation
  • Video installations took center stage, creating sensory overload with lights and sound
  • Day is Done (2005-2006) opened the show, featuring Extracurricular Activity Projective Reconstructions based on high school yearbooks
  • From My Institution to Yours (1987/2003) included Loading Dock Drawings from 1984 and addressed labor politics
  • The Kandors series (1999–2011) depicted Superman's home planet Krypton in hyperbaric bell jars

Entities

Artists

  • Mike Kelley
  • Richard Prince
  • Louise Lawler

Institutions

  • Museum of Contemporary Art
  • MoMA PS1
  • Centre Pompidou
  • Stedelijk Museum
  • Mike Kelley Foundation
  • CalArts

Locations

  • Los Angeles
  • California
  • United States
  • New York
  • France
  • Netherlands
  • Little Tokyo

Sources