Mike Kelley’s video work Kappa was created in collaboration with the well-known deconstructionist video production team Bruce and Norman Yonemoto. The work combines an adaptation of the Greek Oedipus myth with the tale of “Kappa,” a minor deity from the Japanese Shinto tradition.
Kappa is the subject of many Japanese folk tales, which are often extremely violent and sexually charged. In contrast to the Oedipus scenes, which resemble those from a TV soap opera, the Kappa footage is shot as an art film to emphasize the cultural otherness. In addition, a scene from the Hollywood film about Sigmund Freud’s life starring Montgomery Clift is included in the video work in order to highlight that Kappa is a Freudian burlesque.
Kappa
- Year 1986
- Edition Unlimited edition
- Material/Technique Single-channel video (color, sound)
- Dimensions Variable
- Length 26'
- Category Media art
- Collection Sammlung Goetz, Medienkunst, München
Mike Kelley
271 pages, 150 ill., hardcover.
German/English
2008, Kunstverlag Ingvild Goetz GmbH, Hamburg
ISBN 978-3-939894-11-7
€ 25,00