Mo See Attack
Mike Kelley
American, 1954–2012
1976
An etching and aquatint with blind embossing in which Mike Kelley surrounds a small, roughly scratched central figure with raw, stainlike gestures to evoke violent memory and brittle domestic narratives.
At first glance you see a sunburst of ochre pierced by thick, reddish-brown splashes and drips that funnel the eye into a tiny, square vignette where a nervy, crosshatched figure sits under constellationlike dots and arrowlike marks.
Dating from 1976, the print exemplifies Kelley’s early strategy of using rough, anti‑polish print techniques to bring personal trauma, low‑brow imagery, and performative attitudes into contemporary art, helping to expand what printmaking could express.
Medium
Etching and aquatint with blind embossing
Dimensions
composition and sheet (irreg.): 15 9/16 × 14 5/8" (39.5 × 37.2 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Riva Castleman Endowment Fund
Accession
1135.2018
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
