Nikki s. lee
Encyclopedia
Nikki Seung-hee Lee is a Korean American
New York City-based artist
and filmmaker. After earning B.F.A. at Chung-Ang University
in South Korea
in 1993, she moved to New York in 1994 and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology
. She earned her M.A. in photography at New York University in 1998.
Lee's most noted work, Projects (1997–2001), begun while still in school, depicts her in snapshot photographs, in which she poses with various ethnic and social groups, including drag queens, punks, swing dancers, senior citizens, Latinos, hip-hop musicians and fans, skateboarders, lesbians, young urban professionals, and Korean schoolgirls. Lee conceives of her work as less about creating beautiful pictures, and more about investigating notions of identity and the uses of vernacular photography.
A more recent series by Lee, entitled Parts (2002–2005) features images of Lee posing in different settings with a male partner, cropped to make it impossible to directly see who she is with.
In 2006 Lee released a film, A.K.A. Nikki S. Lee. The project, described as a "conceptual documentary," alternates segments presenting Lee as two distinct personalities, a reserved academic and an outgoing socialite. It had its premier at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York, October 5–7, 2006.
Among other locations, Lee has had solo exhibitions of her work at major international institutions including the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
in San Francisco, the Museum of Contemporary Photograph in Chicago
, the Cleveland Museum of Art
and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
, Kansas City. Her works are in the collections of major museums, including the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
, Washington, D.C.; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
; the Milwaukee Art Museum
; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
; the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Fukuoka, Japan; and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
, New York.
Lee is now represented by Sikkema Jenkins & Co. in New York.
Essays on Lee's work have appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, and journals including Artforum
, Art in America
, Art Journal
, and the New York Times. Two monographs on Lee's work have been published:Nikki S. Lee: Parts. Text by RoseLee Goldberg
(Hatje Cantz, 2005) and Nikki S. Lee: Projects. Essays by Russell Ferguson and Gilbert Vicario (Hatje Cantz, 2001).
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
New York City-based artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and filmmaker. After earning B.F.A. at Chung-Ang University
Chung-Ang University
The Chung-Ang University is a private comprehensive institution in South Korea, located over two campuses in Seoul and Anseong. It was founded subsequent to liberation from Japanese colonial rule for the benefit of the nation and advancement of civilization, with the educational philosophy of...
in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
in 1993, she moved to New York in 1994 and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology, generally known as FIT, is a State University of New York college of art, business, design, and technology connected to the fashion industry, with an urban campus located on West 27th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of...
. She earned her M.A. in photography at New York University in 1998.
Career
In 1999 Lee's first one-person exhibition took place at Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York which was her exclusive representative from 1998 through the fall of 2007.Lee's most noted work, Projects (1997–2001), begun while still in school, depicts her in snapshot photographs, in which she poses with various ethnic and social groups, including drag queens, punks, swing dancers, senior citizens, Latinos, hip-hop musicians and fans, skateboarders, lesbians, young urban professionals, and Korean schoolgirls. Lee conceives of her work as less about creating beautiful pictures, and more about investigating notions of identity and the uses of vernacular photography.
A more recent series by Lee, entitled Parts (2002–2005) features images of Lee posing in different settings with a male partner, cropped to make it impossible to directly see who she is with.
In 2006 Lee released a film, A.K.A. Nikki S. Lee. The project, described as a "conceptual documentary," alternates segments presenting Lee as two distinct personalities, a reserved academic and an outgoing socialite. It had its premier at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York, October 5–7, 2006.
Among other locations, Lee has had solo exhibitions of her work at major international institutions including the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is a multi-disiplinary contemporary arts center in San Francisco, California, United States. Located in Yerba Buena Gardens, YBCA features visual art, performance, and film/video that celebrates local, national, and international artists and the Bay Area's diverse...
in San Francisco, the Museum of Contemporary Photograph in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, the Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art is an art museum situated in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000...
and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 1994 in Kansas City, Missouri. The core of the museum's permanent collection is the Bebe and R. Crosby Kemper Jr. Collection, a gift of the museum's founders. The collection includes works created after the 1913 Armory Show to works by present-day...
, Kansas City. Her works are in the collections of major museums, including the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft and is part of the...
, Washington, D.C.; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
; the Milwaukee Art Museum
Milwaukee Art Museum
The Milwaukee Art Museum is located on Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Beginning around 1872, multiple organizations were founded in order to bring an art gallery to Milwaukee, as the city was still a growing port town with little or no facilities to hold major art exhibitions...
; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
; the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Fukuoka, Japan; and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
, New York.
Lee is now represented by Sikkema Jenkins & Co. in New York.
Essays on Lee's work have appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, and journals including Artforum
Artforum
Artforum is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art.-Publication:The magazine is published ten times a year, September through May, along with an annual summer issue...
, Art in America
Art in America
Art in America is an illustrated monthly, international magazine concentrating on the contemporary art world, including profiles of artists and genres, updates about art movements, show reviews and event schedules. It is designed for collectors, artists, dealers, art professionals and other...
, Art Journal
Art Journal
Art Journal may refer to:* Art Journal , 1941–present, published by College Art Association of America* The Art Journal, 1839–1912, London* Art diary, art journal or visual journal, a daily journal kept by artists...
, and the New York Times. Two monographs on Lee's work have been published:Nikki S. Lee: Parts. Text by RoseLee Goldberg
Roselee Goldberg
RoseLee Goldberg is an American-based art historian, author, critic and curator. She wrote a study of performance art, Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present...
(Hatje Cantz, 2005) and Nikki S. Lee: Projects. Essays by Russell Ferguson and Gilbert Vicario (Hatje Cantz, 2001).
External links
- Projects at the Museum of Contemporary Photography
- Sikkema and Jenkins Gallery
- Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York
- Now in Moving Pictures: The Multitudes of Nikki S. Lee by Carol Kino in The New York Times
- Cultural Karaoke by Ben Davis, Artnet Magazine