Nikki S. Lee

Part (14), 2002

[photograph]

This image depicts a woman sitting in the back seat of a car, with a solemn expression on her face. A man’s arm is hugging her shoulders, but the rest of the man’s body is cropped out of the picture. This could represent the detachment she may feel from the man next to her or her desire to remove his presence from her life. It seems as if she has had an argument with him as she looks quite annoyed or even sad. Having researched this image, I now know that the artist’s goal was to explore the complicated aspects of relationships and all the emotions that come with them. She also shows the vulnerability and isolation that comes with breakups.

“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.” –Nikki S Lee

Lee’s words prove to be true, as I recall myself being interested in the cut out part of the image, when I first saw it and questioning why it had been cut out in the first place. It made me think about the dynamic of their relationship and wonder what situation she was in when the photo was taken.

Bibliography:

CARPENTER, B. (2013) National Museum of Women in the Arts. Artists Spotlight.

Available from: https://nmwa.org/blog/2013/11/01/fluid-identities-the-parts-and-projects-of-nikki-lee/ [Accessed 26th November 2017]