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Asma Chaudhary | B.F.A. in AVT + COMM

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Nikki S. Lee moved to New York City in 1996 from Korea and studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology as well as New York University in 1998.

An interesting concept of Lee’s work is that she studies the dialect and appearance of the cultures and then submerses herself into the neighborhood. Sometimes she explains that she is an artist studying cultures but she blends in well with the community. Her style has been to use disposal camera photographs, which give an authentic feel to the images that are posed not staged.

“Since English is not my native language, in a sense, I feel like I am performing all the time,” said Lee in an artist talk on Apr. 21, 2007. The event took place at the Leslie Tonkonow Artworks and Projects Gallery in New York City where she receives representation and funding.

Her various social and ethic groups included skateboarders, Ohioans, lesbians, socialites, Latinos, African Americans, young professionals and exotic dancers. In each of the photographs, Lee is hard to recognize among the crowd but partaking in the event or lifestyle.

Lee also does film work and has published two books on photography, “Nikki S. Lee: Parts” and “Nikki S. Lee: Projects,” which were published in 2001 and 2005. In 2006, Lee produced a film titled, “A.K.A. Nikki S. Lee,” which was shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

“Although I study cultures, I learn how I don’t like to use labels. I’m not just a photographer or filmmaker because I feel like that limits me. I’m interested in following whatever feels right even if that includes sculpture or the fine arts.”

Currently, she will be traveling to other countries in order to further investigate cultural identities. She hopes to make three-dimensional works that consist of layers, including photographs and physical media.

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Copyright © 2007 Asma Chaudhary | achaudh7@gmu.edu | George Mason University