Five-year-old Mei was identified as Hard of Hearing at the relatively late age of three and a half; consequently, her spoken language development was delayed. Before turning four, she received her first hearing aids, and heard birds for the first time.
Using gouache, glitter paint, wax crayons, watercolour, and pencil crayons, JJ Lee and her daughter explore the space between high and low art, visual languages, mark making and representation, process and result, narrative and abstraction. Their marks overlap and interact, blurring these distinctions. This body of work explores the primacy of drawing and Lee’sinterest in art education and creative development in our current system.
Lee, (BFA, NSCAD 1992, MFA, York 1999) was born and raised in Halifax and has lived and exhibited from coast to coast. A recipient of several awards, she currently is an Assistant Professor at OCAD University. Mei Lee Ogden was born in Toronto and is currently in Senior Kindergarten. She is also in the second year of a specialized Deaf and Hard of Hearing program. Her favourite colours are pink and purple, and she loves olives and blue cheese. JJand Mei live with James Ogden, a kindergarten teacher in Toronto. The three of them are currently learning American Sign Language.
A portion of proceeds from the sale of artwork will be donated to the Canadian Hearing Society.
