Holly Lee

Holly Lee (; 1953–2024) was an artist-photographer, best known for her portraits project, the Hollian Thesaurus. She was one of the pioneers of conceptual photography in Hong Kong, experimenting with Photoshop to create composite photographs that were reminiscent of oil paintings. Her work has been collected by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and M+ Museum. In 1997, she re-located from Hong Kong to Toronto, Canada where she and Lee Ka Sing, an artist-photographer, set up INDEXG (a gallery and art studio space). The duo published online on a weekly periodical, Double Double by Ocean Pounds.

Lee died in September of 2024 at the age of 71.

Career In her first photography series, Pictures of My Friends, Artists and Others, Holly Lee photographed many artists and creatives in Hong Kong including Antonio Mak and Ann Hui. She was inspired by the portraits by Richard Avedon, which she described as "naked and intense".

Hollian Thesaurus, 1994–2000 Dun Huang Series, 1991 Footsteps of June Series, 1989 Pictures of My Friends, Artists and Others, 1981–1986

Awards

Sources:

Asian Cultural Council Fellowship, 1994 Award for Best in Multimedia—Pan Pacific Digital Artistry Competition, 1996 Kodak Grand Award, Gold Award in Digital Imaging (Hong Kong Institute of Professional Photographers, 1993; 1995)

Selected exhibitions Solo Exhibitions

Si-ling and Owltoise series, Photo Centre Gallery, Hong Kong, 1985 Footsteps of June, La Cadre Gallery, 1989

Group Exhibitions

What's Next 30x30, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, 2011 YYZ Dialogue, Seven Toronto Artist in Response to the Poems of Leung Ping Kwan, Toronto, 2011 Art+01: A Digital Exploration, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong, 2001 Identities: Art in HKSAR Government Offices Abroad, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong, 2000 On Hong Kong—An Exhibition of Contemporary Photography, City Hall, Hong Kong, 1998 New Voices—Contemporary Art from Hong Kong, Taipei, and Shanghai, Pao Galleries, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Zhung Zheng Gallery, National Taiwan Arts Education Institute, 1998 Asia Cultural Council Group exhibition, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Philipiines, 1997 Hong Kong Arts Festival, Berlin, Germany, 1997 Hong Kong Portfolio, organised by the Asia Society at the Hong Kong Convention Centre and Fringe Gallery, Hong Kong, 1997 Hong Kong‚ Four Perspectives, Chinese Cultural Centre, Vancouver, 1997 Renga, a global art collaboration on the Internet, organised by Japan Telecom, 1997 group Show on Alternative Photography, Shen Yang Luzun Art Academy, China, 1997 New Images from Hong Kong, Tower Gallery, Yokohama, Japan, 1996 2+3+4 Dimension Digital Art Exhibition, Hong Kong Arts Centre, 1996 Contemporary Photography from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong, 1994 Asian Photography, Malaysia, 1986