First Belgian solo exhibition for Mary Reid Kelley
Press preview: wed 28.09.16 at 11am
October 4, 2016
A minotaur or a 19th-century Parisian grisette. These are just a few of the characters in the work of Mary Reid Kelley (°1979, Greenville, South Carolina). She plays these historical figures in her videos, and uses costumes, masks and poetic wordplay to create black and white films that are strongly reminiscent of the graphic novel. She observes gender, desire and vanity, and connects classical tragedies with pop culture and contemporary literature.
American artist Mary Reid Kelley’s video work is characterized by expressive black and white images. Using comedy as well as tragedy, her stylized films connect classical dramas with contemporary literature or culture. She recently won the Balois Prize during Art Basel. Thanks to this prize, a selection of her works will be included in the collection of the Frankfurt Museum of Modern Art and the MUDAM in Luxemburg. On 30 September, the very first Belgian solo exhibition devoted to the American artist will open in Leuven. She will present several works, including her video trilogy about the myth of the minotaur (Priapus Agonistes (2013), Swinburne’s Pasiphae (2014) and Thong of Dionysus (2015)), a 19th-century Parisian grisette in The Syphilis of Sisyphus, as well as drawings.
Furthermore, at the Playground Festival from 17 until 20 November, she will present her performance 'This is Offal'. This work premièred at the Berliner Festspiele and will be presented in Belgium for the first time.
Mary Reid Kelley at Kunsthalle Bremen
Starting on 10 September, Kunsthalle Bremen is hosting two further exhibitions of Mary Reid Kelley’s work:
A Marquee Piece of Sod. The WWI films of Mary Reid Kelley
10.09.2016 – 19.02.2017
And then a Plank in Reason, broke. Prints and drawings about WWI selected by Mary Reid Kelley
10.09.2016 – 15.01.2017
Practical information
Curator: Valerie Verhack
Mary Reid Kelley: 30.09.16 >< 17.01.17 at M-Museum Leuven
