WADE KELLY
Artist Biography
Wade Kelly (b.1989) is a multidisciplinary conceptual artist based in Sydney whose work spans painting, sculpture, and installation. With a background in film production and poetry, his practice integrates language, found objects, and domestic materials to explore the human condition and contemporary society.
In his paintings, Kelly employs expressionist gestures where words and forms collide, creating layered dialogues blending personal experience, cultural references, and existential musings. Infused with sardonic wit, his text challenges viewers to rethink the fluidity of meaning in a fragmented world. His recent work examines collective memory and myth-making, reinterpreting Michael Jordan’s career through vibrant colours and dynamic compositions, prompting reflections on a culture obsessed with performance and perfection.
Extending these themes into three-dimensional arrangements, Kelly recontextualises everyday objects into provocative installations, balancing humour and confrontation. His work explores existence in a commodified world, pushing boundaries to foster critical engagement and self-reflection.
Selected Solo/Duo Exhibitions
It Was Written (with Joel Izak Smith) (2023) | Abstract Thoughts
Sydney, Australia
I Wish God Was Alive To See This (2022) | Nano Gallery
Sydney, Australia
Selected Group Exhibitions
Neither Dream Nor Delusion (2024) China Heights
Sydney, Australia
Burwood Art Prize (2023)
Sydney, Australia
Love Matilda (2022) Goodspace
Sydney, Australia
Omni Salvation (2018) Center Red
Moscow, Russia
images
"Bank Accounts & Mirrors Or How I Found My Calling As A Life Coach" (2023)
“You Are The Prototype” (2022)
“Life Insurance” (2022)
“Your Arms Are Too Short To Box With God” (2024)
“Eat my way to you” (2022)