Nikki S. Lee’s photographic series ‘Parts,’ takes the viewer through the artist’s relationship with an unknown man, who has been cut from the photographs due to separation; implying a sense of hurt and bitterness towards the unknown male. Lee presents to the audience the relationship from her perspective, portraying her own emotion, forcing the viewer to focus on only her. In an interview, the artist said about the series, “The purpose of the cut is to make people curious about the missing person and to think how his identity has affected the woman who is left behind. It forces people to examine the relationship itself, even if it is only part of the story.”

In ‘Part 14’ we are presented with a particularly sullen-looking Lee with a mysterious arm draped about her shoulders. Although this gesture is intended to be one of comfort, the look across the artist’s face conveys expressions of disconnection with the subject beside her. This loosely draped arm is merely a cold presence; a metaphorical weight on the artist’s shoulders of which she is eager to shrug off. The body of the person remains at a distance from her; therefore, inferring the lack of human connection between the two. Perhaps an argument had occurred.

The title of the series provides some ambiguity to the photograph. The name ‘Parts’ could imply the fact that the couple have now parted from each other, or, to place emphasis on the different parts that build a relationship.

Bibliography:

Fluid Identities: The “Parts” and “Projects” of Nikki Lee

1 November 2013, Women in the Arts, accessed 17 October 2017

Nikki S. Lee, Part (14), 2002