Not much is certain about the origins of Brian Kelly. Contradictory reports state that he is either South African or American. It seems that Brian Kelly lived in Minneapolis, MN, USA for several years. Records show he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2002 from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design. It is likely that he began tattooing in Minneapolis, as the first reports of the Brian Kelly Army come from Minneapolis in early 2003. It seems Brian Kelly also lived in the west of Ireland, where further records show he received a Master of Fine Arts from the National University of Ireland - Galway and The Burren College of Art in 2007. Recent reports state that Brian Kelly is now working at Scum-Art Tattoo in Berlin.