Meet Sinae Lee

We were lucky to catch up with Sinae Lee recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sinae, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I keep my creativity alive by looking at familiar things in an unfamiliar way. In our daily lives, we often overlook or take things for granted. For example, since moving to France, I’ve been regularly making video calls with friends and family. During these calls, we ask simple, routine questions like ‘How’s the weather?’ or ‘What did you eat today?’ These questions aren’t particularly important, but we ask them over and over, and I began to focus on how naturally we repeat them. By seeing these ordinary exchanges with fresh eyes, I realized it’s not about the answers, but about the effort to maintain a connection over distance. This shift in perspective helps me approach my creative process—it’s about noticing the small, overlooked details and finding new meaning in them. It’s this kind of shift that keeps my creativity alive.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am an interdisciplinary artist working across video, installation and performance. I left Korea for France ten years ago. When I moved to France, I began to understand—though it wasn’t my initial focus—what it feels like to live as a foreigner. This reality became my life, and it was a powerful experience from the moment I arrived in Paris. It led me to reflect on the physical distance between Korea and France, and over time, this grew into a deeper question: what about the psychological distance? What is the effect of the time difference, and how does distance, in general, affect human relationships, particularly the one I have with my family?
My work began with a simple question: “Is it possible to visualize both physical and psychological distance? And if so, how?” Since arriving in France, my life as a foreigner has shaped everything I do. I started filming and photographing myself in real, intimate situations, using everyday objects and tools like my computer, postcards, travel guides, Skype, and webcams. Through these, I observe the ways in which people communicate and the gestures that we take for granted—things like hitchhiking or ceremonial rituals.
By reworking these familiar codes and forms, I aim to make visible and materialize the physical and emotional distances between Korea and France—and between me and my family. As an interdisciplinary artist working with video, installation, and performance, I focus on themes like identity, movement, roots, and distance. In my work, I explore the tension of “not quite here, but no longer fully there.” I look at how objects and tools—like Skype or postcards—frame our interactions with others in particular contexts, and how deconstructing these tools helps us understand the transformations that take place in feelings of exile and separation.
Through my work, I aim to offer a perspective on the complexities of distance, intimacy, and connection.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

First, observation has always been a fundamental part of my creative process. I’ve loved observing the world around me since I was a child, and this habit has only deepened over time. Whether it’s watching the movement of things or studying still objects, I spend a lot of time observing. From drawing still life as a child to pausing on the street to examine a hole in the wall, or closely watching the people I encounter every day, these moments of observation have shaped my artistic vision. This skill of noticing small, often overlooked details has been invaluable in my creative work.
Second, I’ve always had an interest in recording things—whether or not they end up directly in my work. I think this comes from my fascination with time. I enjoy capturing my personal experiences because I find them to be a reflection of larger societal narratives. For example, I recently started using a five-year diary, where I write about my day in five sections. This system allows me to revisit what I was doing on the same day in previous years, which I find both fun and insightful. Recording my thoughts and experiences in this way is something I know will continue to inspire my work.
Finally, conversation plays a significant role in my life and practice. I believe that understanding comes through conversation, especially the nuances that arise in dialogue. I love paying attention to these nuances and finding common ground with others, even when our thoughts differ. Conversations give me a moment of self-reflection and help me better understand my own perspective, and I hope they do the same for others.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

The book Espèces d’espaces by Georges Perec is one that I continuously return to during my work. The first chapter starts by exploring very small spaces in our lives and gradually expands to the largest of spaces. It begins with the ‘page’ as a space, and then moves through the bed, the room, the apartment, the street, the country, the universe, and even space itself. Perec poses profound questions about how we define human existence and the spaces we inhabit, delving into the meaning of both physical and psychological spaces beyond personal experience and societal context. In this work, he reflects on how language can reconstruct space and how human existence is shaped by space and time. I appreciate the way he approaches the concept of space and human existence, and it has had a significant influence on my creative process. I was particularly fascinated by how his method of moving from the observation of small details in daily life to understanding larger concepts mirrors my own approach to creating art.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sinaelee.co.kr
• Instagram: @sin_ae_lee

Image Credits

cover – E.T. Phone Home
Installation of a 24-page edition, with a lamp, 20cm x 14cm, 2021
Photo (c) Icono Illies Sarkantyu

1. E.T. Phone Home
Installation of a 24-page edition, with a lamp, 20cm x 14cm, 2021
Photo (c) Icono Illies Sarkantyu

2.Same skies
2’32” and 3’24”, 2 screens, wood, resin, lacquer in the shape of an airplane window, curtains, light, 2024
Photo (c) Icono Illies Sarkantyu

3. Same skies
2’32” and 3’24”, 2 screens, wood, resin, lacquer in the shape of an airplane window, curtains, light, 2024
Photo (c) Icono Illies Sarkantyu

4. E.T. Phone Home
video installation 16/9, 16’20”, 2021

5. E.T. Phone Home
Installation of a 24-page edition, with a lamp, 20cm x 14cm, 2021
Photo (c) Icono Illies Sarkantyu

6. Exhibition vue ‘Sinae Lee in Paris(2004), Galerie L’Ahah, Paris, France
Photo (c) Icono Illies Sarkantyu

7. Exhibition vue ‘Sinae Lee in Paris(2004), Galerie L’Ahah, Paris, France
Photo (c) Icono Illies Sarkantyu

8. E.T. Phone Home
video installation 16/9, 16’20”, 2021

9.E.T. Phone Home
video installation 16/9, 16’20”, 2021