Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Mike Kelley, Renowned L.A. Artist, Passes Away

By Megan Sallabedra Wed., Feb. 1 2012 at 2:26 PM

Categories: Art, Culture, L.A. History, Obituary

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Carol Cheh

Early works by Kelley at MOCA's "Under the Big Black Sun" exhibit

Los Angeles is now one brilliant mind short, as legendary artist Mike Kelley has been found dead, his gallery confirmed.

Born in 1954 in a suburb of Detroit, Kelley received his MFA from CalArts in 1978, made his work and home primarily in L.A. and grew to become an internationally renowned artist.

Kelley wasn't just an artist -- he was a rock star, a writer, a curator and even appeared in the occasional film. He had solo shows at the Whitney, LACMA and the Hirshhorn and was represented most recently by the blue-chip Gagosian Gallery, though he continued to make work rooted outside the white cube, as in his 2010 video installation about Burning Man, A Voyage of Growth and Discovery, a collaboration with Mike Smith.

Frederik Nilsen

A Voyage of Growth and Discovery, an installation at Kelley's Eagle Rock studio

In addition to his sculptures, installations and other types of works, Kelley was especially known for crossing over into music, especially as a member of the band Destroy All Monsters, and the group's fresh aesthetic and unconventionality reflected much of the work Kelley would go on to do. One of the wackier moments in his career was when he played in a band backing French theorist Jean Baudrillard reciting his poetry at the Chance Festival at Whiskey Pete's Casino in Nevada.

Tags:

destroy all monsters, gagosian gallery, mike kelley, moca, under the big black sun

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

this just in

Ancient Greek sites could soon be available for rent

(AFP) – 20 hours ago

ATHENS — Available for rent: The Acropolis.

In a move bound to leave many Greeks and scholars aghast, Greece's culture ministry said Tuesday it will open up some of the debt-stricken country's most-cherished archaeological sites to advertising firms and other ventures.

The ministry says the move is a common-sense way of helping "facilitate" access to the country's ancient Greek ruins, and money generated would fund the upkeep and monitoring of sites. The first site to be opened would be the Acropolis.

Archaeologists, however, have for decades slammed such an initiative as sacrilege.

The culture ministry said any renting of ancient Greek sites would be subject to strict conditions.

According to a ministerial briefing dating from the end of December, a commercial firm could rent the Acropolis for a professional photographic shoot for as little as 1,600 euros a day ($2,046). Demonstrators could also rent the ancient landmark.

Greece needs every euro it can get. The country's public coffers are drained and the nation is struggling to avoid a historic debt default in March.

Greece was bailed out in May 2010 by the European Union and International Monetary Fund and is in the process of nailing down a second rescue, though it is undergoing tough talks with private creditors to reduce its massive debt mountain.

Commercial use of Greece's archaeological sites has until now been the responsibility of the Central Council of Archaeology, which has been very choosy about who gains access.

In recent decades, only a select few people, including Greek-Canadian filmmaker Nia Vardalos and the American director Francis Ford Coppola, have been able to use the Acropolis, while most filming and advertising requests have been refused.