My Palace in Taiwan: Yi-Shuan Lee
Yi-Shuan in his art studio, Taichung.Taiwan
“Solitude requires you to move past reacting to information created by other people and focus instead on your own thoughts and experiences – wherever you happened to be”
So as most of you who still follow this project know, I have switched up my home base back to Taiwan for now. With that being said, I have no intention of giving up this series which I can say with pride is my most consistent ongoing creative project! So, to kick off the self-acclaimed spin-off series, I’ve decided to dig deep into the heart of Taiwan and document the amazing homes of interesting individuals. Taiwan as a tropical island has long been colonized, heavily influenced by various cultures, as a result of that, our interior structure and housing situation are vastly different from what was going on in Dallas.
That sounds bleak you may think, but NO! These colorful histories are what makes Taiwan the way it is now: Diverse, tough, vibrant, and much more interesting than you could ever imagine! Taiwan being a small island was lucky enough to slip past the pandemic with minimum damage to our people and more importantly our mental health, however, we did go through a full month lockdown like the rest of the world during 2021. This series allows me to hold conversations with my friends, people I admire and as usual, interesting individuals on what got them through those times and how they felt while being all cooped up … ah y’all know the rest.
Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to Yi-Shuan Lee, a great friend I’ve met during my days in Taiwan and a talented painter. His work can be seen in galleries in Taiwan and soon to be in Korea and China! We chatted, laughed, and drank in his art studio where he worked on his latest collection, I hope y’all enjoy this piece as much as I did while recording our dialogues.
Hi Yi-Shuan Lee, how are you! Looking dapper as always! First of all, thank you so much for having the time to sit down with me, before we start, would you mind telling everyone who you are?
Hey James!!! Thank you for the intro aha! You’re looking fresh today my guy. I’m Yi-Shuan, I am a Taiwanese Canadian artist, and we’re currently sitting here in my studio in Taichung, Taiwan!! Glad to have you back here once again!!
First of all huge congrats on all the things achieved since we last met in Toronto! Look how far we’ve grown! Looking at all the things you’ve accomplished throughout this year and the last would you mind sharing your journey with me? How did you get to where you are now?
First and foremost, I really appreciate you for following my career all these years. Honestly man I’ve just been taking it step by step, tryna living in the moment. I am not exactly the most competitive person out there and I never really took the time to take in the things I’ve achieved thus far. So I think my journey has always been just working hard in the studio and that has led me to be blessed with partners who trusted in me and kept on giving me opportunities to showcase my talents. It has actually only been two and a half years since I’ve been practicing art full-time; pretty much since the last time I saw you in Toronto! I’ve always had a part-time job and it was around that time we last met, when I decided that it is about time for me to put my money where my mouth is and become a full-time artist.
I’ve been making art since a very young age, and I guess it wasn’t until university did I start considering the possibility of being able to make a living out of my craft and creativity.
Now when do you feel like you can proudly say “I am an artist”?
*laughs* Honestly man I think this is something we share in common, especially with the way we were brought up; like, we were taught to be humble and not make loud statements that kinda deal, so I guess I’ve always felt more comfortable under the shadows for the most part. That aside, I think I’ve always known that I am an artist even back when I was a teen, but I just wouldn’t say it out loud.
Was there a make-or-break moment for you throughout your journey?
Ok I think you know this, but Daniela Andrade; I’m telling you man, she is a goddess to me, she blessed me with the opportunity to really have my work seen on a much larger stage. Prior to working on her debut studio album, I was working at an art gallery in Taipei, moved countries, worked part-time, and throughout that time I’ve kept my art practice, painting in a very detailed and illustrative manner, with smaller-scale works.
I met Daniela through a colleague of mine when I worked at Nomad in 2019. Eric Richards, my guy, I thank him so much! He and his partner at WIL Studios, Rahul, were in charge of Daniela’s artistic directions for the album. The opportunity led me to work on Daniela’s album cover art, four hand painted pieces in total(Tamale, Wet Dreams, Gallo Pinto, Ayayai)), and the record label paid me ! That money I invested right back into my studio, and I was able to work less and less side hustles. In return, I was able to develop my language in my art with the extra time I had!
Till now I still feel blessed and fortunate, 2019 was a really good year for me, the pre-covid days man that’s why I never look back because it was such a good year *laughs*
I would have to credit Daniela’s first studio album Tamale, which was a really great hit across all boards and platforms. Shoutouts to Daniela, Jeff Kwok at Crooked Lid Records, and WIL Studios.
Shuan working on his latest collection. 2022
Are you a Taichung local? How do you feel about this city?
Prior to immigrating to Canada at the age of 6, my family moved around quite a lot in Taiwan, but Taichung has always felt the most like home. I should also mention that between the ages of 12~18, my time was also spent in this city. Those were some of the most important years in my life thus far, as I learned the ropes and developed into the person I am today. Now at 27, I have nothing but love for TaiChillCity.
Knowing that you are well traveled, and have taken your talents globally; in your opinion, what makes Taiwan stand out among all the other cities? What is it about the art scene in Taiwan that is different compared to the many other places you have showcased or have lived in?
Hmm.. Ima have to give you a two part answer James. So firstly, having worked in an art gallery in Taiwan; I know that we aren't the biggest market compared to other cities/countries in Asia. But it's definitely growing, and has kept on growing since I began my career in the field just a few years ago. And what stands out to me is that the young generation of Taiwanese collectors aren't shy with pursuing what they like. To be more specific, they are willing to drop loads of money on what they believe in, and are quite aggressive with their pursuit. When you look at the records of the auction houses around the world, much of the most expensive pieces are sold to Taiwanese collectors; and that goes beyond fine art, but jewelries, exotic cars, etc. However, two things I do want to point out that I am a bit concerned about is that; one, the art scene in Taiwan is still heavily dominated by the secondary market, or after-market. And that leads to two; the reason behind buying from the secondary market is due to lack of a personal taste, or individual belief. A lot of collectors in Taiwan specifically follow what's hot overseas; more followers than leaders in the field of collectors is what I’ve been seeing in Taiwan. And this is resulting in artists that are based in Taiwan having a hard time to ever shine on a greater stage. With that said, I do believe that taste requires time, and I think that time is on our side. I have faith that Taiwanese art will one day be able to create its own niche on a global scale.
Now on a personal level, I love working and showing in Taiwan. Even though I have spent half my life living away from Taiwan, most of my family still resides here. Seeing my family on a daily basis makes my studio practice much more uplifting than working anywhere else. Also, at previous openings I’ve had in Taiwan, my fam and my whole crew pulls up, and we all had such a blast! I cherish sharing these precious memories with my most loved ones. I mean.. this is home brotha, of course I’m gonna be biased.
Where do you get your inspiration from? Are there any daily rituals or certain moments/things that inspire you the most?
Pretty much from just from living and observing things happening in my day to day life, and that’s god honest. I mean there’s so much that goes into becoming inspired; mostly the little things in life, and spending time understanding myself. As for rituals, I don't think I have many, or any really. Keeping a healthy balance in everything could be considered my only ritual?
Obviously, 2020 has been a hard year for everyone, take me for example I had several sobbing episodes under my own crappy Ikea work desk during last year. What I want to know is, while being camped up together in this house, how did you manage to stay happy or, remotely not sad? Especially with the various impact it had on the industry you’re in, what got you through that year?
Surprisingly I don’t drink *chuckles*
Editor: He really doesn't. I'm the raging functioning alcoholic in this room today.
I hate sounding like a broken record, but to cope with all that is happening, it really all goes back to using the time to pay more attention to myself. You know me man, I stay hustling, the grind doesn’t stop so I never really had time to sit down and self-reflect and all; So slowing down really helped with that. I was able to spend more time talking to my loved ones, lots of video calls, I actually see them more in a way. To your question though; the pandemic never affected me on an emotional level to a point that I was slowed down in any way.
Yi-Shuan Lee. 2018
Before we wrap this up, is there any advice you would like to give to those who are curious about getting into this industry? Or is there anything you wished you could’ve known that you want to tell your past self?
Here’s the thing, if you want to survive you have to view it as an industry, you’ll need to act like a businessman/businesswoman, if you wanna do anything in life really. Being an artist is not as glamorous as what the mainstream media portrays it to be. But you know, it’s a lifestyle that I enjoy living.
For young artists who are tryna make a living out of their art practice, and to my younger self I guess; stay assertive with your vision, your artistic creations and the goals you’ve set for yourself. Also, enjoy the process. Every little bit of it.
Again, thank you so much for having the time for me especially opening your place up for me and showing me around! One last thing before I go, is there anything on the horizon that you are excited to share with the world about?
Ay man, I appreciate YOU! You’re truly my day one. I love having you over my dude, I love having my studio portraits taken by you more ! The doors to my studio are always and will always be open for you. A few of my showings have been postponed due to the inconsistencies of Covid outbreaks. Art Taiepi in October seems to be on schedule, but the Art Beijing Art Fair and KIAF Art Fair in Korea seems to be up in the air as of right. I still have a few moving pieces for showings that I need to get organized with the galleries I work with. But I’m building up enough work in the studio for at least a good 4~5 showings by the end of year. I’ll definitely let you know once things are confirmed.
