McDonald’s PlayPlaces, tree houses, Nintendo, inflatable pools: these are the uniquely youthful worlds that serve as backdrops for Khalif Kelly’s staggering, nostalgic paintings. Freezing forgotten childhood moments of both the frenzied and docile variety, Kelly’s work is like a pre-raphealite rendering of Peanuts. His subjects’ gracefully expressive poses to seem hint at the dramatic depth lurking beneath youthful playacting.
A playground fight could be a monumental development for the children in Kelly’s paintings– a Radio Flyer ride has the power to transform identities, and an enterprising drink stand might shape attitudes about gender, race, and politics. Treading a line between the personal and archetypal, draped in drama but sharply comic, Kelly’s work seems to invite interpretation and intentionally push buttons to illicit a range of surprising emotions.
Thierry Goldberg Projects in NYC will be opening a Khalif Kelly solo show on September 9th.
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