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Nick Lee

@sirnicklee

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Nikkei, Painter, and Draw guy 🇯🇵🇺🇸
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BFA: KSU 2021
MFA candidate : UI

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Through the Creative Investment Program by ArtsNow, I was able to spend two weeks this past summer at Kent State’s Blossom Art Intensives. During Blossom, I created my painting which was then printed out for Asiatown’s collaborative project “Transforming Asiatown For Those Who Call Here Home”. This project was led by artist Jordan Wong and the Sculpture Center. I got to work with a cohort of Asian American artists Lydia Guan and Thao Nguyen. It was so special to share this project with these talented people. For my planter, some of my imagery was taken from my trip to Japan this past winter with the Japanese American Citizen League (JACL) and JICE. The goals for my planter are for my fellow Japanese Americans to feel seen in Cleveland and for JA’s to know this is their space too. To the sweet Nikkei around the globe, (Japanese / descendants outside of Japan) please know you are welcome here. Thank you to Jordon Wong, the Sculpture Center, ArtsNow, Kent State University, Shawn Powell, Colby Schwartz, The JACL, and JICE for their roles in this project. It’s been such a pleasure to represent my community and to give back to Cleveland’s Asiatown! taken in Asiatown Cleveland by @sirnicklee

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a year ago

Thank you so much to Jala Forest for writing about my mural. I’m glad this piece could reach people in this way. None of this would have been possible without the incredible FeverDream team. Thank you again to Owen Zubek for photographing this massive piece for me. Lastly, thank you to Maximilian Peralta for speaking such kind and thoughtful words about the mural and my work. Please go check out the mural in person on the Shoreway Building! You can find Jala’s full article here:

https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/nick-lee-s-shoreway-mural-is-an-ode-to-identity by @sirnicklee

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2 years ago

Many thanks to everyone that came out to my opening, especially my sweet friends from out of town. 💛 taken in Massillon Museum by @sirnicklee

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2 months ago

Please make it out for the reception of my solo exhibition “Eternal Flames” at the Massillon Museum, this Saturday August 1st! I am showing a new series of paintings based on the people I met through the Kakehashi Project.

A big thank you to the Massillon Museum for hosting my exhibition.

#kakehashiproject #massillonmuseum #japaneseamerican #soloexhibition taken in Massillon Museum by @sirnicklee

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3 months ago

“Chase the San Diego Rider”, 48 x 66 inches, acrylic on canvas.
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#japaneseamerican #acrylicpainting #contemporaryart #contemporarypaintings #sandiego by @sirnicklee

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3 months ago

“My Inner Inferno”, 36 x 72 inches, acrylic on canvas, 2026.
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#japaneseamerican #contemporaryart #contemporarypaintings #asianamerican #onsenretreat2026 by @sirnicklee

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4 months ago

Join us next Friday, June 12th, from 5:00 – 7:30 PM for the opening reception of “Siting Ritual: Holding Renewal, Inscribing Resilience” by Artist in Resident Kristen Mimms Scavnicky, “Working Woods: Altered But Not Erased” by Artist in Resident Josh Maxwell, and “Through Our Nikkei Eyes” by CapSOUL Emerging Artist Nick Lee!

For more information, visit akronsoultrain.org
(🔗 in bio) by @sirnicklee

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4 months ago

CapSOUL Emerging Artist Nick Lee’s exhibition, “Through Our Nikkei Eyes”, featuring Gwen Waight, Joey Leppo, Akira Maynard, Matthew Hashiguchi, and Ritsuko Lee will be on view from Wednesday, June 10 - July 18!

“Through Our Nikkei Eyes”, is a group exhibition featuring artists of Japanese descent working across the United States. Through painting, sculpture, animation, printmaking, and documentary, the exhibition explores the layered identities and lived experiences of Nikkei communities—Japanese and Japanese-descended individuals living outside Japan. This exhibition showcases Lee’s work in conversation with artists Gwen Waight, Joey Leppo, Akira Maynard, Matthew Hashiguchi, and Ritsuko Lee.

Lee’s work centers portraiture as a means of visibility and representation, challenging reductive perceptions and affirming the complexity of identity. “As Western perceptions of Japanese people are often that they are “foreign” or “unknown,” I use portraiture to assert my sitter’s full personhood. My paintings invite the viewer into a world of vibrant color palettes and playful compositions, asking them to get to know the community I am depicting,” explains Lee.

The exhibition also reflects Lee’s engagement with public art as a platform for cultural storytelling, connecting personal narrative with broader community awareness in Northeast Ohio.

About Nick Lee:
Nick Lee (b. 1996) is a painter from Akron, Ohio. Lee received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Kent State University in 2021 and he is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at the University of Iowa. Lee’s work is inspired by the diversity of human experience. As a Japanese-American, he strives to better represent minorities like himself in American portraiture and Western art. Another motivation for his work is self-discovery. Lee uses symbolic Japanese objects in his paintings to connect with a culture that was never taught to him growing up. Lee is the 2023 recipient of the Distinguished Citizen for Art Education for the Northeast Ohio region by the OAEA. Lee is also the recipient of the 2024 Arts Alive Emerging Artist award by Summit Artspace. by @sirnicklee

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4 months ago

“Aiko After the Rain Showers”, 36 x 48 inches, acrylic on canvas.
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#contemporanyart #acrylicpainting #japaneseamerican #aanhpi #figurativepainting by @sirnicklee

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5 months ago

“Akio and the Hills of Hollywood”, 36 x 48 inches, acrylic on canvas.
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#contemporanyart #acrylicpainting #japaneseamerican #aanhpi #figurativepainting by @sirnicklee

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5 months ago

Happy AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiin, Pacific Islander) Heritage month! 🇯🇵🇨🇳🇰🇷🇻🇳

Here’s a photo from “For Those Who Call Here Home”. It was such a blast to work with fellow Asian American artists, including lead artist Jordan Wong, Lydia Guan, Thao Nguyen, and the Sculpture center on this project!
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#cleveland #northeastohio #asiatown #aanhpi #asianartists taken in Asiatown Cleveland by @sirnicklee

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5 months ago

“Peytynn Outside the Orange County Obon”, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48 inches.
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#figurativeart #figurativepaintings #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #japaneseamerican #asianamerican #nikkei #obon #orangecounty #california #portrait #portraiture #acrylicpainting #acrylic #buddistchurch by @sirnicklee

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10 months ago