Joe Seely is a self-taught Los Angeles-based performer and maker of theatrical objects, who has been creating effigies since the age of four.

Before he could even read, Joe discovered puppets as objects through the rod puppet illustrations of German master puppeteer Hansjürgen Fettig.

The central themes of Joe’s art are the American identity and the ways in which violence, both towards ourselves and others, has reduced our ability to value what exists outside our constructed identities. His experiences in and out of costume have led him to recognize that what we use to signify who we are is similar in construction to puppets and masks.

Joe’s designs have won multiple awards from the LA Stage Alliance (Ovation Award), LA Critics Circle and LA Weekly. Joe has collaborated on projects with major art institutions in the region (LACMA, MOCA, LA Opera, Mark Taper Forum, among others) and with artists such as Asher Hartman, Nao Bustamante, Marcus Kuiland-Nazario, Johanna Went and Paul Outlaw.

Joe has toured throughout the West Coast, and internationally with Zoo District (Ivan Franko Theater/Kyiv) and Emily Mast (Power Plant/Toronto). On film, Joe played Mark Grey in Nightmare on Elm Street 5 and appeared in Shag, The Iron Triangle, Tough Guys, and more. Joe is a member of the Gawdafful National Theater in Los Angeles. He most recently collaborated with Paul Outlaw on the development of Duet, an exploration of violence and masculinity, which was presented in workshop at Human Resources and MOCA, Los Angeles.