Red Stain
1986
Acrylic on cotton, with tassels
190.5 x 213.4 cm (75 x 84 in.)
Two evanescent forms are combined in a complex human study that mixes the body and mind. The abstract, symmetrical spot resembling a Rorschach test refers to the psychoanalytical study of a subject, but the more figurative, partially erased shape depicts a man in a nearly surgical manner. A decorative frieze of red pompoms softens the seriousness of these acrylic spots on cotton.
By bringing together an individual’s two inseparable facets, Red Stain visually expresses a key religious concept, the separation of body and soul. Marked by a deeply religious upbringing, Mike Kelley has continuously explored the impact of a strict, rigid education steeped in Roman Catholicism.
A personal work that directly questions the viewer's unconscious, Kelley's Red Stain is in the Pinault Collection. This painting was first exhibited at the "Sequence 1" show at the Palazzo Grassi in 2007.
By bringing together an individual’s two inseparable facets, Red Stain visually expresses a key religious concept, the separation of body and soul. Marked by a deeply religious upbringing, Mike Kelley has continuously explored the impact of a strict, rigid education steeped in Roman Catholicism.
A personal work that directly questions the viewer's unconscious, Kelley's Red Stain is in the Pinault Collection. This painting was first exhibited at the "Sequence 1" show at the Palazzo Grassi in 2007.
Exhibitions
Mike KELLEY © Adagp, Paris.
Photo : Joshua White
