los angeles
kandors 1999/2011
mike kelley
photography by OLIVIER ZAHM
All artworks courtesy of the Mike Kelley Foudation for the Arts
Iconic Los Angeles artist Mike Kelley, born in Detroit, once said, “Where you grew up, that’s your inner world.” He made resin casts of comic-book images of the city of Kandor, capital of Superman’s home planet, Krypton, an icon of every childhood. He lit them from below to evoke a mysterious galaxy, free of the garbage and sentiment of the one he left behind. His suicide at 57 shocked everyone.
MIKE KELLEY, KANDOR-CON 2000 (DETAIL), 1999/2007 MIXED MEDIA INSTALLATION, COPYRIGHT MIKE KELLEY FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS / ADAGP, PARIS, 2018
MIKE KELLEY, KANDORS FULL SET (DETAIL), 2005/09 COPYRIGHT MIKE KELLEY FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS ADAGP, PARIS, 2018