Untitled (Liberal, Puritan, Citizen Monument), 1991
Information about the artwork
- MaterialAcrylic on paper
- Dimensions142 x 213 cm
- Year of acquisition1993
- Inventory numberUAB 222
- On viewOn view
- Copyright© Mike Kelley. VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn [2025]
More about the artwork
Mike Kelley grew up in the United States—in a suburb of Detroit—and studied at the legendary California Institute of the Arts. In Los Angeles, from the 1970s until his death in 2012, Kelley's artistic activity included drawing, sculpture, music, video, performance, and installation. In his works, he often combined a sober approach and biting humor to address the dark undercurrents of American society and to question faith in art. The work belongs to the artist’s "Lump Drawings" (1991)—a series of black-and-white drawings in his characteristic comic style. Two mounds swarmed by flies are captioned "Liberal Puritan. Citizin. Monument" The three terms refer to different American traditions: religious Protestantism ("puritan"), progressive politics ("liberal"), and the concept of citizenship in the United States ("citizen"). These notions of identity, seemingly contradictory at times, are subverted in Kelley's drawing through illustrations of foul-smelling substances. The artist later wrote that he wanted "to find a form for the formless"—monument or lump?
