A conversation about Curiosity with Jim Lee (part one): Artist Jim Lee has illuminated his curiosity through his creations since the late 1990s. In part one of this artist talk, Lee sits with consultant and Black On Black Founder Michael S. Williams to discuss his background and how his various interests are reflected in his work. The pair sit together in Wilmington for Lee's exhibition The Curiosity of Jim Lee.
A conversation about Curiosity with Jim Lee (part two): In part two of this artist talk, Lee talks with guests and dives into specific pieces breaking down down is process.
Video by Julia Wall. Images of artwork are by Lindy Schoenborn.
The Curiosity of Jim Lee
210 Princess Street, Wilmington, NC (map)
October 19 to December 8, 2023
A Black On Black Project and Durham Art Guild Collaboration
In The Mis-Education of the Negro, Carter G. Woodson writes that, "If you can control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his action." Jim Lee's thinking has never been controlled, therefore neither has his action. That's allowed him to freely explore his curiosity, which he extends to viewers of his artwork. The collection of works in The Curiosity of Jim Lee brings that curiosity to the forefront.
Exhibition statement: The curious nature of multidimensional artist Jim Lee has been illuminated through his creations since the late 1990s when he began, in earnest, his exploration of found materials and photography. The Durham, North Carolina native admits this curiosity presented itself during his childhood and continues today with the solitary practice of examining uninhibited construction sites and nature with a fierce fervor. With journalist, professor, farmer, and community organizer on his resume, Lee's career path is as long and has as many twists and turns as the Nile River. And like the Nile, this experience has been a vital transport of lived observations, visible in his 3D and 2D work and, most personally, his photography.
Lee continues to dissect the intricacies of his life through the objects and photographs he creates. His inquisitive nature allows viewers to see things as he's discovering them, positing along with him. In The Curiosity of Jim Lee, the artist's vast interests are on full display through selected works that examine, among other things, the ideas behind abundance, assimilation and freedom.
exhibition INfo + Events
Gallery Hours: Thursdays and Fridays, 4 to 7 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Last Days: Thursday, December 7 and Friday, December 8: 4 to 7 p.m.
artist bio
Jim Lee is a multi-dimensional, self-taught artist whose work is heavily influenced by his love of nature, science, psychology, technology, and his sense of social justice. Working with cameras, scanners, lighting and collections of found and fabricated objects, Lee creates photographic images that range from the darkly mysterious and figurative to the elegantly simple and abstract.
They can be personal or political. He often ventures outside of his photographic practice into three-dimensional creations. The work can be beautiful, disturbing, or even whimsical. One rarely leaves one of Lee's pieces without some questions and that is exactly what he wants. His work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions and can be found in collections at American Tobacco Campus, Andrew Young Enterprises, Cassilhaus, Duke University Medical Center, and in numerous other private venues.
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