At the weekend the Grundy Art Gallery opened the doors on its much-anticipated latest exhibition. In case you’ve missed the buzz surrounding it, the new show is by Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Leckey and explores Leckey’s enduring fascination with Felix the Cat. Entitled This Kolossal Kat, That Massive MOG, the exhibition comprises various depictions of Felix-whose image was, in 1928, the first ever to be broadcast, making Felix arguably the very first TV star. The exhibition includes the now-famous Inflatable Felix (2013), as well as earlier pieces such as Flix (2008), a 16mm film animation of Felix’s tail.
Visitors to the Grundy will also be the first to see a major new art installation by Leckey, entitled FEELINTHECAT. The installation, at the heart of the exhibition, comprises a mini cinema fashioned in the shape of Felix’s head. Visitors can enter the cinema to view a film, inspired by a photograph of a Disneyland actor in Mickey Mouse costume, in which animation is intercut with live action footage. FEELINTHECAT was commissioned by the Arts Council Collection to mark its 70th anniversary in 2016.
There will also be the opportunity to view Leckey’s film, Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore (1999), which features evocative footage of Britain’s club scene dating from the late 60s to the early 90s. The film has been described in the Guardian by Justin Quirk as “perhaps the finest portrayal of British nightlife ever captured”.
This Kolossal Kat, That Massive MOG will be at the Grundy Art Gallery from Saturday 14 May until 13 August, but don’t delay seeing it for too long. While photographs of Inflatable Felix abound on the internet, it is difficult to convey the full impact of walking into the gallery, only to find that familiar space dominated by a giant inflatable Felix the Cat-and that is just one of Leckey’s works that you will have the chance to encounter at the Grundy.
For more information visit grundyartgallery.com
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