Taejay Lee
He holds a BA degree from the University of the Arts London and an MA degree in Photography from the Royal College of Art London.
Since founding his darkroom and alternative process studio in 2019, TEYÉ has focused on preserving 19th-century photographic techniques specialising in Platinum Palladium process, Cyanotype, and Cameraless photography, while integrating digital technology and mixed media.
TEYÉ explores themes around Urban Transformation, Identity, Time and City. His artistic practice is linked to repetition, deconstruction and reconstruction working with archive materials and found objects that integrate with site-specific elements and situations.
Artist’s work
Title: Keo Keo Ro Creation year: 2024
Medium: Film and Mixed Media
Size: -
Link:
#Photography, #Film, #Mixed Media
Medium: Film and Mixed Media
Size: -
Link:
#Photography, #Film, #Mixed Media
Description:
Keo Keo Ro ("in layers") examines the regeneration and redevelopment of East London, where the area's transformative history resonates with the urban landscapes of my motherland, South Korea. From its Roman origins and the housing challenges of the 1930s to the unrealized utopian ideals of socialist architecture in the 1960s and 70s, and most recently, the sweeping capital-driven projects since the 2012 Olympics, East London embodies a complex narrative of change and contradiction. As an outsider navigating this evolving landscape, I investigate themes of access, authority, utopian aspiration, and ownership.
My practice employs processes of appropriation, repetition, physical layering, and deconstruction, utilizing foundational materials shared by photography and architecture—cyanotype, transparency film, grid paper, tapes, wall filler, newspaper, graphite, and pencil.
I come from a family deeply involved in urban redevelopment in post-war Korea. While I chose not to inherit the family business, venturing instead into advertising and later the arts, my work reflects an ongoing dialogue with this memory and history. Through techniques such as remapping and replanning, I layer my own photographs with archival imagery, property advertisements, and collages, only to dismantle them through décollage and demolition. This cyclical process mirrors my introspective exploration of identity and critique of contemporary capitalist society.
Keo Keo Ro ("in layers") examines the regeneration and redevelopment of East London, where the area's transformative history resonates with the urban landscapes of my motherland, South Korea. From its Roman origins and the housing challenges of the 1930s to the unrealized utopian ideals of socialist architecture in the 1960s and 70s, and most recently, the sweeping capital-driven projects since the 2012 Olympics, East London embodies a complex narrative of change and contradiction. As an outsider navigating this evolving landscape, I investigate themes of access, authority, utopian aspiration, and ownership.
My practice employs processes of appropriation, repetition, physical layering, and deconstruction, utilizing foundational materials shared by photography and architecture—cyanotype, transparency film, grid paper, tapes, wall filler, newspaper, graphite, and pencil.
I come from a family deeply involved in urban redevelopment in post-war Korea. While I chose not to inherit the family business, venturing instead into advertising and later the arts, my work reflects an ongoing dialogue with this memory and history. Through techniques such as remapping and replanning, I layer my own photographs with archival imagery, property advertisements, and collages, only to dismantle them through décollage and demolition. This cyclical process mirrors my introspective exploration of identity and critique of contemporary capitalist society.
Review
“Through 'Keo Keo Ro', Taejay Lee invites us to witness East London's shifting identity. The layered imagery creates a powerful dialogue about who gets to shape our cities."
-Simon C., Professor of Screenwriting
“Through 'Keo Keo Ro', Taejay Lee invites us to witness East London's shifting identity. The layered imagery creates a powerful dialogue about who gets to shape our cities."
-Simon C., Professor of Screenwriting