Provoking viewers to appreciate the humorous quality in his work, emerging Singaporean artist Lee Ruixiang was trained at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts specialising in printmaking. He was trained under the tutelage of the Academy’s printmaking lecturer, Miguel Chew and graduated with a Diploma in Fine Art in 2012. Equipped with the knowledge, foundational skills and diverse printmaking techniques, Lee sought to innovate his artmaking by exploring with assemblages of woodcut print in 2012.

Lee’s artworks Who do you want me to be? and You heard me? were created employing two-dimensional printmaking techniques. Growing up with comics, cartoons and science fiction films, Lee is greatly influenced by the images of superheroes and fantastical illusions that offer an upbeat and contemporary expression of his reality. Lee’s works contain references to popular culture, imposing combinations that appear radical and culminate in action-packed chaos, expressing his thoughts as a young adult. In 2012, Lee challenged traditional printmaking techniques by experimenting with assembling tiered paper cut-outs to amplify perspective. This resulted in a dramatic effect and three-dimensional quality, as seen in Don’t Copy Them Lah!, an acquired work by the artist in NAFA’s collection.