Mels Dees was trained as an architect at the Technical University in Eindhoven, Holland, but for most of his life he has worked as a visual artist, writer and translator, mainly in Europe and South America. Dees started out producing poetry, etchings and paper reliefs, but his work now also comprises large-scale installations and outdoor sculpture in wood, metal and other materials. His work has been collected by museums and private institutions, both national and international. Photography and digital collage techniques are important tools for his work. Mels lives and works in Eindhoven at the studio complex Ateliers Patagonia, which he initiated in 1981.