Still Life

Joon Lee

 
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The strangeness and success of still life work lies in the artist’s ability to transform inanimate objects into emotional, moral, and even political concepts that channel beneath an overall ornamental surface value. Joon Lee’s photography takes this spirit of still life and revives it by taking traditional subjects of dishes, flowers, and food and configuring them into an electrifying and contemporary exploration of color, disorder, vulnerability, and movement. Learn more about Lee’s feelings on color, where his playfulness comes from, and what he has on the horizon.

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COURTNEY SIMCHAK: You work in several different mediums–painting, collage, and photography. How do you decide which medium to use when you’re working on a piece? Can you talk about your process while you’re making work?
 

JOON LEE: As I progressed, I realized that these three mediums intertwine and disciplined my choices in regard to composition and color. Choosing the medium to properly execute concepts can be difficult, so now I just go with my instincts.
 

Hmm. The process is something I have trouble answering. Mainly because I create work when I feel that stirred need to finish concepts from that tiny seed of an idea. With that said, my process is quite loose, and I let myself enjoy the present times, free of stressing about the need to create.

Adventuring regularly to thrift stores in Vancouver, as any mid-20s millennial would, I wanted to push the concept of using elements (glass to refract and reshape, fruits for color compositions, etc.).

SIMCHAK: How did you get started in photography and making art? What do you love most about being an artist? What is the most challenging?
 

LEE: I started back in high school without much forethought of what my future would become. I am thankful to carry this privilege to study and create art in a safe environment without political war fares that may restrict us from free expression. The most challenging turmoil I face from time to time is the battle between two sides, where one believes “I’m creating this for me,” while the other fights, “Or am I creating for others?” It’s a struggle I find as my work is getting recognized; my true values veer off course and I would have to keep myself in check.
 

SIMCHAK: There is a very specific tone of colors that repeats in your work—strong jewel tones, blushes and neutrals. Did you always gravitate to these colors? Do you have a special relationship with these colors and tones?
 

LEE: There’s definitely something I have gravitated toward; of its serene calmness. Its tone carries me through what I envision reality would be if I could paint over it. When I started, I never truly paid any attention to color until I met a dear colleague, Ian Lanterman, who called me out then proceeded to teach me the importance of color.
 

SIMCHAK: Has the playfulness in your work existed from the beginning or is it something that has developed over time?
 

LEE: It existed, but now that I think about the beginning, the playfulness was very loose and its concepts were elementary. Over time, individual ideas were filtered, refined, then translated to digest easier for the public.

The most challenging turmoil I face from time to time is the battle between two sides, where one believes “I’m creating this for me,” while the other fights, “Or am I creating for others?”

SIMCHAK: Your work turns mundane objects and settings into the extraordinary. What is your relationship to the mundane, day-to-day? What makes the everyday extraordinary to you?
 

LEE: Ah, now I could say that you can turn anything mundane into something extraordinary if you pulled focused to them, but I’m going to be honest. Adventuring regularly to thrift stores in Vancouver, as any mid-20s millennial would, I wanted to push the concept of using elements (glass to refract and reshape, fruits for color compositions, etc.). Fortunately, I landed a gig to rebrand a health food conscious company, Fed, so I was given full creative freedom to run my concepts.
 

SIMCHAK: Is there an artist or author you’ve really enjoyed lately? Any good reading recommendations?
 

LEE: I find Paul Outerbridge a master of color. He’s someone I always recommend to anyone wanting to study color.
 

SIMCHAK: Are there any new projects or news you’re excited to talk about or share?
 

LEE: Currently, I’ve moved on from photography into video work, so we’ll see what I come up with.

 

 
Joon Lee is an artist currently working in Vancouver. You can find more of Lee’s artwork at his Instagram @kdotclee.