Mike Kelley was a visual artist who cultivated his work in Los Angeles and emerged as a star in the 90s. The late artist was known for creating art with scrapped stuffed animals, rummaged toys, and other discarded thrift store items. Kelley has become somewhat associated with this stuffed animal art, but he was also a punk musical artist during his younger years in Detroit, Michigan.
Mike Kelley's most recognizable piece of art may be his 1991 series titled Ahh... Youth!, featuring eight mugshot-esque photos. Seven of these photos feature tattered children toys and one photo features Kelley himself.
Mike Kelley's most recognizable piece of art may be his 1991 series titled Ahh... Youth!, featuring eight mugshot-esque photos. Seven of these photos feature tattered children toys and one photo features Kelley himself.
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| Mike Kelley's 1991 piece: Ahh... Youth! Source: Los Angeles Times
What's interesting about this piece is that one of the mugshots was actually used by Sonic Youth, for the artwork of their 1992 album, Dirty. Sonic Youth is a rock band based out of New York that is associated with the rise of noise rock and the era of grunge music. Kelley had been collaborating with the Sonic Youth prior to their 1992 album since he was friends with Kim Gordon, a keystone member of Sonic Youth.
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| Sonic Youth's 1992 album artwork for Dirty |
Vintage Sonic Youth T-Shirts
During the era of the Dirty album, there were at least two t-shirts put into production featuring characters from the Ahh... Youth! artwork. From my research I have seen the "Dirty Alien" t-shirt from 1992 and the "Gracias" t-shirt from 1992. The first shirt features the same alien toy from the album artwork, while the latter features the dirty bunny character from the Ahh... Youth! series.
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| "Dirty Alien" T-Shirt from 1992 Source: eBay |
Pricing shirts like the one above is difficult, because it is subjective to the seller. I've seen this particular "Dirty Alien" t-shirt listed anywhere from $200-$1,000. This shirt is certainly rare, although there are reproductions being sold for around $30.
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| "Gracias" 3/4 Sleeve Shirt from 1992 Source: Grailed |
This three-quarter sleeve shirt from Sonic Youth is much rarer than its "Dirty Alien" counterpart. I have rarely seen this shirt listed, but when it does get listed it goes for upwards of $1000.
Just because these shirts are rare, that doesn't necessarily correlate to a positive connotation in the fashion world. However, the market for these shirts has recently blown up because of the rise in vintage popularity, thus creating a higher demand for them. The artwork actually adds to the wearability of the shirts, creating a set of beautiful set of graphic t-shirts that are highly regarded in the streetwear realm of fashion.
Supreme x Sonic Youth Collaboration FW18
In preparation for their fall-winter 2018 season, Supreme decided to release a collection featuring Kelley's artwork in the form of t-shirts, hoodies, jackets and button-ups. The most notable pieces from the collection include artwork from his More Love Hours Than Can Ever Be Repaid and Ahh... Youth! pieces. Below are some of the garments released by Supreme that season:
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| Supreme x Mike Kelley FW18 T-Shirt Source: Highsnobiety |
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| Supreme x Mike Kelley FW18 Jacket & Hoodie Source: Highsnobiety |
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| Supreme x Mike Kelley FW18 Button-Up Source: Highsnobiety |
That wraps up my brief history of Mike Kelley's artwork being featured in fashion garments. If you're interested in learning about another late artist's artwork being popularized in the fashion world, check out the link below:
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