Justin Lee is a Singaporean visual artist and designer. He has participated in numerous artist-in-residence programs in Japan, such as Fukuoka, Studio Kura, Itoshima Art Farm, and Tokyo Youkobo. After his graduation with a Diploma in Fine Arts, he was one of the selected local artists trained at the Tyler Print Institute in New York. Over the years, he has participated in numerous exhibitions held in Singapore and internationally (2000-2002).

As one of Singapore’s foremost pop artists whose design projects reflect a fine sense of contemporary design flavoured with an essence of Singapore traditions, Justin’s work deserves accolades as both designer and artist. His approach to design is executed with current graphic fundamentals yet reflects traditional techniques such as his ongoing series based on paper-cutting and Chinese woodblock printing styles. The themes and imagery with which he interprets his commissioned design work underscore familiar Asian cultures with a delightful pop treatment that celebrates Asian values in an endearing tongue-in-cheek manner.

In his earlier career, he had been handpicked as one of the first six interns from STPI to work with world-renowned artists such as Frank Stella and Donald Sultan. He believes that art plays an important part in helping people to grow and to see the important role play and awareness of themselves. His works also reflect on words and images from the mass media like signage, billboards and consumer products which control our thoughts and expression.

The artist’s background in graphic design has greatly inspired his concepts of consumerism. He is well known for his paper-cut inspired paintings with a fusion of eastern and western elements that highlighted how Western consumerism-culture has infiltrated the East and his ancient Eastern figurines modelling western luxury products. In his recent works, he looked deep into the effects on the lifespan of products and their (past) functionality. This ideology is followed by a second lease of life given by people who are able to see use beyond the previously assigned identity for the object.

By questioning the purpose of things through the study of objects; purpose and given meaning, acceptability in culture, its physical form, a material made of and how the usage of objects is applied in the context of a community. The investigation of these works has revealed a hidden community made up of senior citizens who lived on their own, working hard each day to earn a living. Some do it through the collection of old things; newspapers, cardboard boxes, used tin cans, etc. The discovery of this sub-culture living in modern Singapore has enabled the artist to draw parallels of constructs from used/discarded objects to the study of people, history, contemporary culture, and traditional family values that are present in their personal and social networks.

Education

• 2016 | Master of Fine Arts, LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore
• 2006 | Bachelor of Fine Arts (Western Art), Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore
• 1999 | Diploma in Fine Arts, LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore

Selected Solo Exhibitions

• 2022 | Toys ‘R’ Lust-0.2” Residency Art Show at Studio Kura, Japan
• 2021 | “I Am A Con Artist” Solo Exhibition at The Private Museum, Singapore
• 2020 | “They Used To Be My Playground” Solo Exhibition at Art Seasons Gallery, Singapore
• 2018 | “Game of Life” Solo Exhibition at Esplanade Concourse, Singapore
• 2017 | “They used to be my playground” at Studio Kura, Japan
• 2012 | “Ten Years of Art and Craft” at Art Seasons Gallery, Singapore
• 2012 | “The Paper Ball” Solo Exhibition at Esplanade, Singapore
• 2008 | “Beijing Goes West” Solo Exhibition at Utterly Art, Singapore
• 2007 | “Sweet and Sour Pop” Solo Exhibition at Utterly Art, Singapore
• 2006 | BA degree Solo Show at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore
• 2005 | “Our People, Our Lifestyle” Solo Exhibition at Esplanade, Singapore
• 2005 | “Double Happiness-Fantasy in Red” Solo Exhibition at Utterly Art, Singapore

Selected Group Exhibitions

• 2022 | “Dark Was the Night We Found Light” Exhibition at Instinc, Singapore
• 2022 | “Substation: Redaction” at Visual Arts Centre, Singapore
• 2022 | The Artist’s Village’s “Epilogue” at Changi Fairy Point Chalet 7, Singapore
• 2021 | The Third Print at Myungju Art Center, Korea
• 2020 | “Crossing Border/ Border Crossing” at International Festival of Intermedia, Hong Kong
• 2020 | “Alohomora Chimera” at Taipei Zhongshan Hall, Taiwan
• 2020 | Instinc “De: Voted” at Art Space Helutrans, Singapore
• 2020 | “Polyphony South East Asia” at Nanjing Art Museum, China
• 2019 | Wuwei Performance at 51 Waterloo Street, Singapore
• 2019 | “ASIALIVE SINGAPUR” at Galeria Labirynt, Poland
• 2019 | Wuwei Performance at Stamford Arts Centre, Singapore
• 2019 | The Artist’s Village’s “Portraiture” at Mairangi Arts Centre, New Zealand
• 2019 | “Small Singapore Show 2.0: TaiSing Conversation” at Supernormal Gallery, Singapore
• 2019 | Wuwei Performance at Your Mother Gallery, Singapore
• 2018 | “Small Singapore Show 2.0” at Open Contemporary Art Center, Taiwan
• 2018 | The Artist’s Village’s “Portraiture” at MOX-Banksy Gallery, Singapore
• 2018 | “In the Mood of Serenity” at Visual Arts Centre, Hong Kong
• 2018 | The Artist’s Village’s “Still Life” at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore
• 2017 | “Meta-graphy” at MEME Art Space, Taiwan
• 2017 | “The Circle of Life” at Japan Creative Centre, Singapore
• 2017 | “Field Trip Project Asia: Departure Edition” Group Exhibition in Indonesia
• 2017 | ‘IN-Visible’ Group Exhibition at ION Gallery, Singapore
• 2016 | “South by Southeast” Group Exhibition at Yibo Gallery, China
• 2016 | “Different Light” Group Exhibition at Unipon2kau2 Art Project Space, Japan
• 2016 | “And The Rest Of Such Things” LASALLE Master’s Degree Showcase, Singapore
• 2016 | “Parabiosis: International Contemporary Art Exhibition” at Chongqing Contemporary Art Museum, China
• 2015 | “Art Now Live Tour Season 2” Group Traveling Show in China
• 2015 | “Sweet Spot” LASALLE Master’s Work-in-Progress Exhibition at McNally Gallery, Singapore
• 2015 | “Synthesis” Group Show at North Art Gallery, New Zealand
• 2015 | “Echo: Inside Out” Group Exhibition at Central Academy of Fine Art, Beijing
• 2014 | “Our Childhood-Come and Play” Art installation at National Museum, Singapore
• 2014 | “Art Stage Singapore” at Art Seasons Gallery, Singapore
• 2014 | “The Third Print” at Total Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea
• 2014 | “iLight Marina Bay” Asia’s Sustainable Light Festival at Art Science Museum, Singapore
• 2013 | “Robotic Love” Artists Residency Art Exhibition at Youkobo Art Space, Japan
• 2013 | “Causeway Exchange” Group Exhibition, Malaysia
• 2012 | “Art Garden: The Art of Imagination” Children Season at Singapore Art Museum
• 2012 | “Itoshima Arts Farm 2012”, Japan
• 2012 | “Sense” Residency Art Exhibition at Studio Kura, Japan
• 2011 | “Life After Death” Art installation at Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore
• 2011 | “Art Garden – Mummy Dearest” Children Season at Singapore Art Museum, Singapore
• 2011 | “Asia Pulse, 10+1 Art Tactic” in Thailand
• 2010 | “Geisai #02” at Huashan Creative Park, Taiwan
• 2010 | “Asia Contemporary Art: Now & Next” Group Exhibition at Gwang Ju National Museum, Korea
• 2009 | “Lost in the City” Sculpture installation at National Museum, Singapore
• 2008 | “1X1X1” Group Exhibition at Fost Gallery, Singapore
• 2004 |“Reconstructions of a City” Site-Specific Installation, Singapore
• 2003 | “PKW Anniversary – The BOX Show: Featuring 50 artists” at Plastic Kinetics Worms, Singapore
• 2002 | “Made-In Singapore” Group Exhibition at Art Season Gallery, Singapore

Awards

• 2007 | Mont Blanc Young Artist World Patronage Project, Hamburg, German
• 2006 | Nominee for President’s Design Award: Singapore Design of the Year
• 2005 | Philip Morris Singapore Art Awards, Highly Recommended Award
• 2003 | UOB Painting of the year, Highly Recommended Award, Singapore

Permanent Collections

• Singapore Art Museum
• Private Collectors