Good condition.
Signed and dated on the back of the mount.

Mike Kelley (1954-2012) was an interdisciplinary American artist and curator who has been recognized as one of the most influential artists of the past 50 years. Kelley graduated from the California Institute of Fine Arts with an MFA in 1976. Inspired by the Avant-garde teachings of the professors, Kelley produced work that encapsulated cultural and social rebellion through class commentary and pop culture. During the 1990s, Kelley’s work began to explore concepts of repressed memory and childhood traumas. The work that came out of this period employed playful toy imagery but possessed a sinister undertone. Through this series, Kelley was observing the educational system in America as a form of mental abuse that brainwashed people into believing truths and untruths that prevented young people from developing secure forms of knowledge. Kelley thought that this shared experience created a nation-wide repression of childhood.

Untitled #4 resembles a playing card and features a sexualized doll-like woman in a fetishised costume inspired by Native American culture. This critiques the erasure of Native American histories within American society. The dress of the figure encapsulates many ahistorical and culturally insensitive representations of Native American dress featured in children’s dolls or dress-up costumes. Kelley’s work often questions the power structures that are reinforced during childhood, particularly from objects that appear saccharine and innocent. This mixed media piece exposes the complex unspoken traumas of shared childhood experiences that are controlled by government structures.

Wako Works of Art, Tokyo