Portrait by Terry Suave

 
 
 

About Nani Lee

Emanating as sculptures and airbrushed paintings on both paper and canvas, my work investigates socioeconomic status. By personifying teeth, I demonstrate the individuality of people within various social statuses and investigate the inequality of dental care throughout history. My work is contemporary and surreal, as I revisit and critically analyze the residual impacts of my childhood experiences with being unhoused, domestic trauma, Latin heritage, and sexuality, as well as reimagining moments of my everyday life and fuzzy memories that have lingered. I have explored the narrative of feeling small due to childhood trauma and have come to understand the lack of resources within mental and physical healthcare, education, economics, and race that have perpetuated this hierarchy in Western Society. Through my work, I am becoming more aware of the complexities in my experiences and creating a new narrative that invites class consciousness. I am passionately exploring my understanding of society through my personal experiences and inviting others to gain insight into my humorous ways of digesting the past and present.

 

Grants & Residency

Stove Works 2024

ASC Seed Grant 2022

Exhibitions

2023 AstroPop - Wooden Robot, Charlotte, NC

2022 Nutrient Rich - Goodyear Arts, Charlotte, NC

2022 The Last Night - Petras Art Lounge, Charlotte, NC

2022 Cognitive Dissonance - Petras Art Lounge Charlotte, NC

2022 Safe Space - VAPA Center, Charlotte, NC

2022 LGBTQ+ Art Show - Summit Coffee Co, Charlotte, NC

2022 Local Street 2022 - Mint Museum Uptown, Charlotte, NC

2022 Dazed In Blue - Space 212, Charlotte, NC

2022 So what are we? - BlkMrkt Gallery 2022, Charlotte, NC

2022 Dream Deferred - Winthrop University, Rockhill, SC

2022 Anything But Canvas - Summit Coffee Co, Charlotte, NC

2021 Hunnid Dollar Exhibit - Blkmrkt Gallery, Charlotte, NC

2021 Young Affiliates of the Mint Hispanic Heritage Art Show - Charlotte Art League, Charlotte, NC

2021 Lemonade Exhibition - Fillmore, Charlotte, NC

2021 100% - Goodyear Arts, Charlotte, NC

2021 Local Street - Mint Museum Randolph, Charlotte, NC

2020 LADY FEST - Good Year Arts, Charlotte, NC

2019 BOOM Intersection - Plaza Midwood Art Fest, Charlotte, NC

Links