Artist Research: Nikki S. Lee

Ivette Torres

Professor Roman

Digital Imaging

May 6th, 2019

Artist Research: Nikki S. Lee

Born as Lee Seung-Hee in 1970, Niki S. Lee was raised in Kye-Chang, South Korea. After earning her BFA at Chung-Ang University she immigrated to New York in 1994. There she attended the Fashion Institute of Technology where she received her MA in photography. Currently, she lives and works in Seoul, South Korea.

Most of Lee’s work focuses on individual and group identity. She is best known for her Projects series (1997 - 2001) which was a mix of performance and photographic art. Projects is actually a combination of multiple photographic series. In these series Lee would study particular subcultures and ethnic groups and attempt to integrate herself into the groups over a specific period of time while having photos taken of herself with a “snapshot” camera. The use of the “snapshot” camera was to avoid carrying around a clunky professional camera, that was not only heavy but also very conspicuous. Some of the series within Projects include the “the Yuppie Project, Punk Project, The Lesbian Project, Skater Project, Exotic Dancers Project, Hispanic Project, Hip-Hop Project and on”(Kim, Eunsong). And while there is some understandable criticism against Lee’s projects which refer to her work as glorified racism and appropriation, it's also important to take note that Lee was allowed to join these groups by the people themselves - most of whom were aware of her project. It is unreasonable to consider what Lee did on the same level as the act of a white girl dawning clothing associated to a certain group, like native americans, and passing it off as a costume. Because within Lee’s photos it needs to be recognized that in some way or form she was receiving input and guidance from the others within the group. The group themselves helped Lee with her series, and with her ‘performance’. Referring back to the purpose of her work, it wasn’t just about adopting the visual elements of these groups but rather about individual and group identity and whether or not Lee could integrate herself as a member into these subgroups.

Her work is heavily influenced by asiatic views of identity, “where identity is not a static set of traits belonging to an individual, but something constantly changing and defined through relationships with other people”(Museum of Contemporary Photography). Her photos show how her identity as an individual appears to change in relation to those around her. She fully immerses herself into these groups, without any reserve of presenting any judgment she does as lives as they do. And she does this so well to the point that many of the others within the group, despite being aware on some level that Lee is doing a ‘performance art’, still consider her a genuine member of their group. Even just looking at the photos the way in which Lee appears, her posture and her expression make her look like she could belong- the only aspect that at times would contradict or raise to question this notion being her obvious korean ethnicity.

 But this also brings up an interesting question of whether or not these identities can be considered genuine. In assimilating herself into these groups Lee did so with the intent of performing this sort of social experiment, she did it with the intent of actively and consciously playing a ‘character’ that would fit in well with the others. “Lee believes that ‘essentially life itself is a performance. When we change our clothes to alter our appearance, the real act is the transformation of our way of expression—the outward expression of our psyche.’” (Museum of Contemporary Photography).  We are constantly changing the way we behave and interact depending on who we are with, we are constantly performing and that’s not to say that we are being ingenuine but that all of these performances are apart of what constructs our identity. As long as the relationships we form with the people we are with are genuine, then that ‘us’ that we are performing as in those moments is also to some extent genuine.

Works Cited

“Nikki S. Lee .” National Museum of Women in the Arts, National Museum of Women in the Arts, <nmwa.org/explore/artist-profiles/nikki-s-lee.>

“Lee, Nikki S.” Museum of Contemporary Photography, Museum of Contemporary Photography,

<www.mocp.org/detail.php?t=objects&type=browse&f=maker&s=Lee%2C%2BNikki%2BS.&rec.>

“Nikki S. Lee.” International Center of Photography, International Center of Photography, 2 Mar. 2016, <www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/nikki-s-lee?all%2Fall%2Fall%2Fall%2F0.>

“Nikki S. Lee.” Artnet, Artnet, <www.artnet.com/artists/nikki-s-lee/ord=1.>

Cruz, Amanda. “Nikki S. Lee.” X-TRA CONTEMPORARY ART QUARTERLY, X-TRA CONTEMPORARY ART QUARTERLY, <www.x-traonline.org/article/nikki-s-lee.>

Kim, Eunsong. “Nikki S. Lee's ‘Projects’-And the Ongoing Circulation of Blackface, Brownface in ‘Art.’” Contemptorary, Contemptorary, 27 Nov. 2017, <https://contemptorary.org/nikki-s-lees-projects-and-the-ongoing-circulation-of-blackface-brownface-in-art/.>