DANIEL LEE photographer

Daniel Lee was born in China and lived for some years in Taiwan before moving to the U.S., where he set out to study art and eventually completed his master's in Fine Arts. In the 70s he began working in New York City as an art director while undertaking his first experiments with photography. His recent series "Manimals" has caught and held the art world's attention. It features twelve electronically manipulated portraits inspired by the animal figures of the Chinese zodiac, including the fox and the tiger reproduced here. This transformation of human figures into digital chimeras, it should be noted, has begun to take root in the "virtual" community of artists in a significant fashion. The "Manimals" series, which also appeared in a monographic volume, has received deserving praise on the part of critics and public alike for the striking verisimilitude of these synthetic creatures.

Selected Solo Exhibitions:

2009 "Then, Now & Next", Tangram Art Center, Shanghai, China

2009 "Dreams", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
2008 "Dreams", Pata Gallery Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
2008 "Daniel Lee" at the Art Center, Central University, Taiwan
2008 "Daniel Lee" at the Art Center, Tsinghua University, Taiwan
2008 "Daniel Lee", Gallery Now, Seoul, South Korea
2008 "Jungle", Nichido Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
2008 "Jungle", In-Art Space, Tainan, Taiwan
2007 "Xintiandi", East Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
2007 "Xintiandi", Pata Gallery Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
2006 "Manimals", Pata Gallery Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
2005 "Harvest", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
2005 "Harvest", East Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
2004 "Harvest", Nichido Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
2001 "Nightlife", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
1999 "Origin" & "Judgement", Cyber 99, CCB, Lisbon, Portugal
1999 "Origin", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
1997 "108 Windows", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
1996 "Manimals", J.J. Brookings Gallery, San Francisco, USA
1995 "Manimals" Galerie du Chateau d'Eau, Toulouse, France 
1995 "Judgment" Gallery of the World, Benska Stiavnica, Slovakia 
1994 "Judgement", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
1993 "Manimals", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
1992 "Color of the Third Kind", Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan

Selected Group Exhibitions:

2009 "Become Human Become Animal" New Society for Visual Arts, Berlin

2008 "Room 19", K.D. Museum of Fine Art, Taipei, Taiwan
2008 "Ancient Future", Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
2008 "Art of Taiwan", National Moravian Gallery, Czech Republic
2007 "Asian Art Biennale", National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan
2007 "Impermanence", Biennale of Electronic Art in Perth, Australia
2007 "Taiwan: From within The Mist", Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Canada
2007 "Zoom on China", by Zoom Magazine, Brescia, Italy
2007 "X-Generation", Enghien-les-Bains Centre des Arts, Paris, France
2007 "Art & Artiface", Museum of Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
2006 "Hyper Design", Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai Art museum, China
2006 "Digiarte" 2006, Limonaia of Bardini, Florence, Italy
2006 "In Vivo In Vitro", Ergostasio Center, Athens, Greece
2005 "Light Conversation", Fogg Museum, Harvard University, MA, USA
2005 "Origin", Hybrid, Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria
2005  "Beauty & the Beasts", Museum Kunst Palast, Dusseldorf, Germany
2005 "Future Face", National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, Taiwan
2004 "Il Bello e le bestie", Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Trento, Italy
2004 "Petting Liberation", CO4 Taiwan Documental, Taipei, Taiwan
2004 "Exposed", Stadtische Museen Heilbornn, Germany
2004 "Metamorphosis", J.M. Kohler Art Center, Wisconsin
2004 "Animal Instincts", Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, CA, USA
2004 "Fantastic Art", Landes Museum, Linz, Austria
2004 "Whitstable Biennale 2004", Kent, England
2003 "Sphere", Presentation House Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
2003 "Limbo Zoon", Palazzo delle Prigioni, La Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy.
2003 "Gene(sis)", Berkeley Art Museum, San Francisco, USA
2002 "Metamorphing", transformation in science, art and mythology, Science Museum, London, England
2002 "Gene(sis)", Contemporary Art Explores Human Genetics, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA, USA
2001 "Unknown/Infinity", Taipei Gallery, New York, USA
2000 "Judgement", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
1999 "Photography and the Human Soul, 1850-2000" Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA, USA
1998 "Revolution" First Decade of Digital Photo, Museum of Science & Technology, Milan, Italy
1996 "Myth and Magic", California Center for the Arts Museum, Escondido, CA, USA
1996 "Il Ritratto Maltrattato", Palazzo Vendermini, Forli, Italy 
1995 "Il Ritratto Maltrattato", Il Diaframma, Milan, Italy

Daniel Lee è nato in Cina e ha vissuto a Taiwan prima di trasferirsi negli USA, dove ha studiato arte specializzandosi con un master. Negli anni Settanta ha iniziato a lavorare a New York come direttore artistico, mentre iniziava a sperimentare la fotografia. La sua recente serie "Manimals" ha catturato l'attenzione mondiale. Comprende dodici ritratti manipolati digitalmente, ispirati alle figure degli animali dello zodiaco cinese, incluse la volpe e la tigre qui riprodotte. È una trasformazione delle figure umane in chimere digitali, idea ormai radicata nelle comunità virtuali di artisti. La serie "Manimals" appare anche in un volume monografico e ha ricevuto meritati premi da parte di critica e pubblico.

Mostre personali:

2009 "Then, Now & Next", Tangram Art Center, Shanghai, China

2009 "Dreams", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
2008 "Dreams", Pata Gallery Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
2008 "Daniel Lee" at the Art Center, Central University, Taiwan
2008 "Daniel Lee" at the Art Center, Tsinghua University, Taiwan
2008 "Daniel Lee", Gallery Now, Seoul, South Korea
2008 "Jungle", Nichido Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
2008 "Jungle", In-Art Space, Tainan, Taiwan
2007 "Xintiandi", East Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
2007 "Xintiandi", Pata Gallery Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
2006 "Manimals", Pata Gallery Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
2005 "Harvest", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
2005 "Harvest", East Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
2004 "Harvest", Nichido Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
2001 "Nightlife", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
1999 "Origin" & "Judgement", Cyber 99, CCB, Lisbon, Portugal
1999 "Origin", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
1997 "108 Windows", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
1996 "Manimals", J.J. Brookings Gallery, San Francisco, USA
1995 "Manimals" Galerie du Chateau d'Eau, Toulouse, France 
1995 "Judgment" Gallery of the World, Benska Stiavnica, Slovakia 
1994 "Judgement", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
1993 "Manimals", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
1992 "Color of the Third Kind", Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan

Mostre collettive:

2009 "Become Human Become Animal" New Society for Visual Arts, Berlin

2008 "Room 19", K.D. Museum of Fine Art, Taipei, Taiwan
2008 "Ancient Future", Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
2008 "Art of Taiwan", National Moravian Gallery, Czech Republic
2007 "Asian Art Biennale", National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan
2007 "Impermanence", Biennale of Electronic Art in Perth, Australia
2007 "Taiwan: From within The Mist", Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Canada
2007 "Zoom on China", by Zoom Magazine, Brescia, Italy
2007 "X-Generation", Enghien-les-Bains Centre des Arts, Paris, France
2007 "Art & Artiface", Museum of Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
2006 "Hyper Design", Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai Art museum, China
2006 "Digiarte" 2006, Limonaia of Bardini, Florence, Italy
2006 "In Vivo In Vitro", Ergostasio Center, Athens, Greece
2005 "Light Conversation", Fogg Museum, Harvard University, MA, USA
2005 "Origin", Hybrid, Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria
2005  "Beauty & the Beasts", Museum Kunst Palast, Dusseldorf, Germany
2005 "Future Face", National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, Taiwan
2004 "Il Bello e le bestie", Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Trento, Italy
2004 "Petting Liberation", CO4 Taiwan Documental, Taipei, Taiwan
2004 "Exposed", Stadtische Museen Heilbornn, Germany
2004 "Metamorphosis", J.M. Kohler Art Center, Wisconsin
2004 "Animal Instincts", Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, CA, USA
2004 "Fantastic Art", Landes Museum, Linz, Austria
2004 "Whitstable Biennale 2004", Kent, England
2003 "Sphere", Presentation House Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
2003 "Limbo Zoon", Palazzo delle Prigioni, La Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy.
2003 "Gene(sis)", Berkeley Art Museum, San Francisco, USA
2002 "Metamorphing", transformation in science, art and mythology, Science Museum, London, England
2002 "Gene(sis)", Contemporary Art Explores Human Genetics, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA, USA
2001 "Unknown/Infinity", Taipei Gallery, New York, USA
2000 "Judgement", O.K. Harris Works of Art, New York, USA
1999 "Photography and the Human Soul, 1850-2000" Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA, USA
1998 "Revolution" First Decade of Digital Photo, Museum of Science & Technology, Milan, Italy
1996 "Myth and Magic", California Center for the Arts Museum, Escondido, CA, USA
1996 "Il Ritratto Maltrattato", Palazzo Vendermini, Forli, Italy 
1995 "Il Ritratto Maltrattato", Il Diaframma, Milan, Italy