Nikki S. Lee, Parts.

The photo in the post below (showcasing my thrifty yet luxe find at the Cambridge Antiques Market) made me think of a photographer that I have admired since my days at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Nikki S. Lee, a Korean artist, is similar to Cindy Sherman in that she takes on wildly different personas, making self-portraits. However, Lee often integrates herself with more commitment, joining whichever culture she wishes to emulate. Some of her projects include self-immersed documentation on senior citizens, Latinos, skateboarders, and drag queens. These are the kinds of ideas I had as a kid in my small, homogenous town.

I  particularly like Lee's project entitled Parts in which she, in a variety of guises, poses with a companion. The finished image shows only Lee and a brief, but lingering reminder of the person that has been cropped out of the image.

Part (14), 2002.

Part (23), 2003.