Lee Wells

The Fifth Element (Black Cloud)

2020

Lee Wells (b.1971) is a conceptual artist whose practice, rooted in the act of painting, draws inspiration from the epic myth of the avant-garde, the enthusiasm of the New York School, the praxis of the Situationists, the process of Fluxus, and the contradictions of Postmodernism. Wells enjoys making things, collaborating with others, and learning something new as often as possible. Most recently he has been experimenting with new technologies to expand on the new frontier of Human / AI collaboration in the arts. Historically his work has focused on systems of power and control in society and has been presented in various forms internationally for over 30 years, including the Guggenheim Museum, MCA Chicago, PS1/MoMA, 51st Venice Biennale, The National Arts Club, and Hermitage Museum, as well as numerous universities, festivals, art fairs, and galleries. Wells was a co-founder of The Perpetual Art Machine, the video art community portal project (2006-2011) and has directed the alternative curatorial platform IFAC Arts since 1996 which is currently based in New York’s Lower East Side and Athens, Greece.