nikki lee "Who we are is not bound by birth or geography," notes artists Nikki Lee, and her work lives as a testament to that ideal. Her documented performances blur the lines and raise debate over the ideas of identity, sociology, and "the other." Lee’s career began with her Projects series in the mid- to late- 1990s where, after careful observation of a particular social, ethnic, and/or cultural group, Lee then seamlessly assimilated herself as a member of said group. These prolonged endeavors lasted from days to months per group. A young Korean woman, Lee took on the guise of members of various sub-cultures from punks to schoolgirls to yuppies, Latinas, lesbians, drag-queens, skaters, and exotic dancers. In each case, she carefully constructed her appearance and manner to match the demands of the group identity. Through her act, she engaged the other members of the group and simultaneously took on the role of "member" and of "other." Her relationship with the group was then documented in snapshot-style photographs taken by friends or bystanders. The snapshot format enhances the validity of her assimilation by presenting real moments of interaction, as personal as any photograph one would find in a family album. In spite of all of her research and performance, Lee’s work is not about becoming another, it is about opening the mind to the possible extensions of self. To Lee, identity is fluid and expansive, and her work challenges the viewer to embrace that idea and question their own formation of self.

In The Exotic Dancer Project, Nikki Lee portrays herself as an exotic dancer at a strip club. The project is less about the act of stripping than about relationships. Many of the photographs depict Lee alongside her fellow dancers. Exotic Dancer Project (19) shows Lee and another woman sitting facing one another, breasts exposed from their skimpy bikini tops, both heavily cosmetically made-up, mirroring each others' posture with hands on thighs, legs open and tongues touching. They are where we can assume is backstage at the club, shoddy chairs support their forms, lockers wall the backdrop. The photograph plays with the relationship between the two women as well as the relationship between the exotic dancers and the viewer. Although they are not on stage, their gaze is directed at the camera, challenging, as aware of their role of object of desire as if they were performing. Lee engages both with her fellow subjects and with the viewer through her complex play with identity.

--Larissa Raddell, MFA, Studio Art, George Washington University

In 1970, Lee Seung-Hee was born in Kye-Chang, South Korea and at the age of 24, came to the United States to study photography. Upon arrival in New York City where she continues to live and work, Lee decided to get an "American" name and asked a friend to compile a list. Taken from Vogue magazine and inspired by supermodel Niki Taylor, she became Nikki S. Lee. It is appropriate that her new identity would be inspired by another whose career relied upon being in the public eye as the common thread in all of Lee's work is her physical presence in each image. Her many "projects" focus on various segments of society, and she is always at the center regardless of the race, class, or socio-economic status being depicted. Whether dressed as a senior citizen, stripper or yuppie, Lee alters her entire physical appearance so as to seemingly blend into the environment she has created. And, unlike artist’s who set up scenes in private spaces, the world is Lee's studio. She enlists strangers to pose with her and often a random person passing by operates the camera. There is a sense of familiarity between Lee and the people around her as if they were all old friends, despite the deliberate preparation and staging involved with each photograph. Everyone appears at ease as if taking a picture with this artist who is virtually a stranger was a completely natural occurrence.

In Hip Hop Project (2) Lee casually stands between two men on a city street. They may have just met but all three appear relaxed and comfortable with being photographed together and uniformly engage the viewer with frank looks of disinterest and toughness associated with urban city life. Her hair has been dyed blonde and braided into rows, and her skin tone is noticeably tan. The makeup is heavy and in lieu of eyebrows, two razor thin black lines have been drawn in to make Lee look even more severe. A garishly patriotic tank top completes the outfit while the hanging crucifix mirrors the flashy jewelry noticeable on each man. Despite the thorough preparation Lee undergoes before each project, her photographs consistently maintain a sense of the ordinary, right down to the date that appears on the lower right corner, a feature common in almost every point and shoot camera. This ability to assimilate into whatever situation she intentionally assembles yet, create a natural, almost mundane image is what makes the work of Nikki S. Lee so unique.

--Cicie Sattarnilasskorn, MA, Art History, George Washington University