Lee, Charles

American, b. 1983

BiographyCharles Lee is an interdisciplinary artist whose work addresses false narratives and glorified versions of American history and culture. Through film, photography, installation, sculpture, and sound, Lee examines a holistic view of Black American life to combat monolithic or devalued representations. Lee’s work encourages critical dialogue on the past, present, and future of the Black American experience in relation to the guise of American Iconography. On this series, titled sweat & dirt, the artist states: “This body of work displays a deep historical legacy of Black cow-folks that exists to this day. I made these photographs between Louisiana, Southern California, the Central Valley, California, and the Bay Area, California. I chose these particular places to trace the migration patterns of Black agricultural ecologies in the U.S. and to speak on the larger conversation of historical westward expansion. The images shown here show that…there are Black people that participate in the rodeo, raise cattle, listen to country music, live in rural spaces and not solely urban centers. All of this is with the intention to further the discussion about what it truly means to be American. In effect, this work shows that we’ve been here and that Americans of African descent are just as “American,” if not more so, than those of the dominant society who often require Black folks to prove their American-ness…I want my work to help eliminate the idea that Black culture is a monolith, further ratifying that Black history is American history.”

Charles Lee completed his MFA from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco where he also now works as an adjunct professor. Lee has presented his work from sweat & dirt in a solo show at SF Camerawork Gallery, San Francisco, CA, and CUBESpace Gallery, Berkley, CA. Lee has led artist talks and workshops at ICA San Jose & San Jose African American Community Service Agency, San Francisco State University, slash / Gallery, San Francisco and Stanford University.