Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaylee Soohyun Lee.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I am an animator/illustrator currently based in Los Angeles. I often work with female narratives – anything I make has a female character involved one way or another. It was not a conscious decision or anything; I just grew up with a lot of female narratives that inspired me as a child such as Disney princesses and classic novels. Goddesses, fairies, widows in the Victorian era, princesses, and ballerinas were kind of characters who would appear in my work. They would commit themselves in beautiful, romantic tragedies like Juliet from Romeo and Juliet, or L’assomoir, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, and Nana. I used to draw comics about these kinds of narratives.
And then I flew across the Pacific Ocean from South Korea to Los Angeles to study Experimental Animation at California Institute of the Arts. There I got to learn how to execute my ideas and stories into animation form. Two of my films I made during my years in CalArts, Until Dawn(2016) and Corps Exquis(2018), were about a Victorian widow who lives her lover’s death over and over again, and a ballerina living in her daily life struggling for the spotlight.
The theme of my work gradually changed over my three years in Los Angeles, during which time was the first time in my life as an ‘alien.’ I basically lived my whole life in my home country South Korea, so I was not aware of how it would be like to live somewhere as a foreigner. So Living in the United States as an Asian woman was a completely new experience for me. For the first time in my life, I started wanting to talk about myself through my artwork, a real woman living the real world, who has a lot of flaws and vulnerabilities. So these days I try to talk about myself and my emotions through my work.
Please tell us about your art.
As I mentioned in my previous question, recently I am very interested in talking about myself through my work. I guess it’s like a visual diary – sometimes I talk about my emotions, my vulnerabilities, or sometimes I just talk about my daily life. As of now, I am working on a series of animated illustrations about my travel experiences in foreign countries. I try to capture the moment and emotion while visiting a completely strange city as a traveler. I look at the photos on my phone that I took during my trips and then pick my favorite place, and then pretty much start from there.
In terms of medium, I work with digital tools. When you are working with a computer, you get to make many mistakes but can always undo them, so I get to try new tricks without worrying about messing up. Personally, it’s the best medium for me.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
Do not burn yourself out. These days, as the importance of social media presence arises, we artists often feel like it’s an obligation to never stop working and to post something daily basis to promote our artworks. I feel like this can really burn out your creativity and of course, your wrist condition. We have a lifetime to make art, and sometimes it’s ok to take time and keep working on something that truly resonates with you.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I’m active on my Instagram and my website, where I post my recent works and news about them. Recently my film has been screened at some international animation festivals, including Athens Animation Festival and Kinoki Film Festival of Mexico. Actually, there will be a screening in the Los Angeles area on 5/4 10:00 am, at Tateuchi Democracy Forum. It’s part of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and the tickets are for free!
Contact Info:
- Website: kayleelee.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kayleelee_art
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
