spiritual amidst the noise of materialism, kitsch, television, and our own laziness. At the same time we feel the oppressive nature of much organized religion, which holds out the promise of spiritual solace to those willing to pay up.” He observed certain formal elegance, but also that eKay attempts to shock, revelling in his obvious poor taste, an example of the latter being Zipperdeedudazipperdeeday, 1991-92, which appropriated the voices of homeless black men. George Melrod in Art in America wrote:
In LeKay’s world, damage is omnipresent, every balance is precarious, and every stab at transcendence reeks of kitsch and desperation. For all its calculated melodrama, his work captures something akin to genuine anguish.
LeKay described These Colors Don’t Run, 1991-93 (an American flag topping a garbage can) as “a suicide machine” and that he worked “on the fine line where something can be really awful or really beautiful.” Damien Hirst interviewed LeKay and the transcript appears in the catalogue for the show. They were both represented by the Cohen Gallery.
Spiritus Callidus #1 (Crystal Skull) by John Lekay, 1993, paradichlorobenzene
In 1993, inspired by Mayan skulls, he made 25 skulls, using crystal to create a glistening effect: “When the light hits it, it looks as if it is covered in diamonds.” Initially he used paradichlorobenzene, a substance more often found as a toilet deodoriser. He first showed such a skull at the Cohen Gallery. He subsequently developed this idea, using materials such as soap and wax, artificial diamonds and Swarovski crystals.
Spiritus Callidus #2 (Crystal Skull) by John Lekay, 1993, paradichlorobenzene
In 1994, he held an exhibition, Delires de Lnge Neutre (elirium of the Neutral Angel), at the Kenny Schachter gallery