In Australia Kelly is well known for his paintings and large sculptures of William Dobell’s cows, papier-mâché creations used during WWII in an attempt to confuse enemy aircraft as to the location of the Australian airbases. His sculptures of these cows have been exhibited on the Champs Elysées, Paris, in Les Champs de la Sculpture, 1999, Monte Carlo, in La Parade des Animaux, 2002, the MAMAC in France, The Hague, 2007, Glastonbury (2006 and 2007), London (Goodenough Trust in Mecklenburgh Square, 2005), Cork city, 2011, and Melbourne Docklands (2001 to the present). His bronze monumental Man Lifting Cow is exhibited in Sunshine, Melbourne (2016 to the present).

More recently, Kelly’s work has taken various turns and adventures that have seen him tackle contemporary issues – such as branding in contemporary culture, and museum politics – in places such as the Guangzhou Triennale, 2008, and the Göteborg Biennale, 2011. In 2005 Kelly’s work was commissioned by David Walsh (Museum of Old and New Art, MONA) in Hobart to create work for his Moo Brew beer labels. Kelly referenced the logo of the Australia Council for the Arts, who themselves had advocated a “branding the Arts” strategy. In what was a successful anti-branding branding campaign the award winning labels have become iconic Australian beer labels.

Kelly’s work is held in many museums and galleries in Australia and also the Guangdong Museum in China. His most recent exhibitions in 2022 have been in Paris (Sothebys) and Melbourne with the Lazarus Series (Smith and Singer)