JASON LEE

b. 1970, Orange, California

A native of Southern California, Jason Lee is a photographer, director, and actor. Having established a successful career as a professional skateboarder during skateboarding's pivotal late 80s and early 90s period, Lee would go on to pursue acting, which would lead to working in film, television, and voiceover, and with such directors as Kevin Smith, Lawrence Kasdan, Cameron Crowe, and Rebecca Miller. In 2001, Lee developed a passion for photography and dedicated himself to pursuing the medium as a creative profession. His photographic works have since been featured in multiple group and solo exhibitions, magazines and books, with A PLAIN VIEW (2018) representing the debut publication for Film Photographic, the photo book publisher Lee founded in 2015. Prior to the release of A PLAIN VIEW, Refueled magazine published Lee’s first-ever photography book, a 2016 special limited edition hardcover issue featuring selected American instant film photographs spanning 2006 to 2016. June 1, 2019, saw the opening of OK: Jason Lee Photographs, Lee’s premiere museum exhibition. Commissioned by Tulsa’s Philbrook Museum of Art and on view through December 2019, the exhibition featured 178 Oklahoma photographs spanning the Meinig and Burnstein galleries in the museum’s satellite location, Philbrook Downtown (now Bob Dylan Center). A selection of Larry Clark’s original Tulsa prints were concurrently presented in the adjacent Smith Gallery. A hardcover OK exhibition catalog will be produced at a later date. In December 2020, UK publisher Stanley/Barker released IN THE GOLD DUST RUSH, the first book to feature a selection of Lee’s previously unpublished American black-and-white photographs, spanning 2008 to 2020. Preceding the release of ITGDR, in November 2020, at the request of Galveston Historical Foundation, Lee traveled to Galveston, Texas, and made photographs on the island for a special book release to help commemorate the foundation’s 2021 sesquicentennial. The result is Galveston (2021), a 176-page hardcover offering that features 98 color and black-and-white photographs. Following the book’s release, GHF held a public signing with Lee in its majestic Bishop’s Palace, a National Historic Landmark and contributing building in the island’s East End Historic District. In December 2023, Lee opened Eagle Rock Camera & Goods with photographer Raymond Molinar. Situated in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, the quaint street-side shop offers new and used film cameras, film, accessories, and photo books. While photography remains Lee’s primary creative focus, he continues to perform as an actor as well as co-operate his brand Stereo Skateboards, which celebrated its 30-year-anniversary in 2022.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2017 - Selected works from A PLAIN VIEW, Artspace 111, Fort Worth, Texas

2017 - Selected works from A PLAIN VIEW, Preacher Gallery, Austin, Texas

2018 - Selected works from A PLAIN VIEW, Patterson-Appleton Arts Center, Denton, Texas, hosted by Greater Denton Arts Council

2019 - OK: Jason Lee Photographs - selected works from a 2018 collection of Oklahoma photographs, Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma

2022 - Selected works from A PLAIN VIEW, Monument, Kingston, New York

2022 - Selected works from Morning Walks, Keller Gallery at Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego

2023 - Jason Lee: Selected American Photographs 2008 — 2020, Leica Gallery London

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2003 - Now & Then - Stereo Skateboards graphic art and group art/photography exhibition, Downtown Independent Gallery, Los Angeles, California (multiple works)

2003 - Now & Then - Stereo Skateboards graphic art and group art/photography exhibition, Varnish Fine Art, San Francisco, California (multiple works)

2004 - “Way Out East!” - Three traveling Stereo Skateboards graphic art and group art/photography exhibitions: NYC, London, Paris (multiple works)

2004 - Northern Exposure - Stereo Skateboards graphic art and group art/photography exhibition, Antisocial Skateboard Shop, Vancouver, BC (multiple works)

2004 - Tokyo Nights - Stereo Skateboards graphic art and group art/photography exhibition, Beams News, Tokyo, Japan (multiple works)

2007 - Stereo 15 Year Anniversary Show and Celebration - Stereo Skateboards graphic art and group art/photography exhibition, 3131 Clement Gallery, San Francisco, California (multiple works)

2010 - Stereo On 6TH Street - Stereo Skateboards/guest artists skateboard graphic art and group art/photography exhibition, Los Angeles, California (multiple works)

2010 - These Friends at This Gallery, Day 19 Gallery, Los Angeles, California (1 work)

2011 - These Friends at This Gallery, Day 19 Gallery, Los Angeles, California (1 work)

2016 - Untitled art/photography group exhibition, Social List & Port, Long Beach, California (6 works)

2016 - Our/Los Angeles Presents A Film Photographic Group Photo Show - Los Angeles, California, sponsored by Film Photographic and Our/Los Angeles, hosted by Our/Los Angeles (3 works)

2017 - MakeShift Photorama: Significance Imposed, A Collision of Words & Images - Kettle Art Gallery, Dallas, Texas (4 works from A PLAIN VIEW)

2017 - Our City: A Los Angeles Photography Show - Los Angeles, California, sponsored by Film Photographic, Ilford Photo, Our/Los Angeles, and Contact Photo Lab, hosted by Contact Photo Lab (2 works)

2018 - American Soil, The Mitten Building, Summerbell Room, Redlands, California, sponsored and hosted by Diavolist (2 works from A PLAIN VIEW)

2018 - On North Texas, Patterson-Appleton Arts Center, Denton, Texas, sponsored by Film Photographic, Ilford Photo, and Denton Camera Exchange, hosted by Greater Denton Arts Council (2 works)

2019 - Houses For Sale, PDNB Gallery, Dallas, Texas (7 works from A PLAIN VIEW)

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

2006–2009 - Anthem magazine, 14 issues, contributing and featured photographer

2015 - Monster Children magazine Issue 48, guest issue editor and featured photographer

2016 - Refueled magazine THE ONE SERIES, ISSUE FOUR VOLUME 1: INSTANT FILM, special limited edition signed and numbered hardcover issue (500 copies, sold out)

2018 - A PLAIN VIEW PHOTOGRAPHS FROM TEXAS JANUARY — APRIL 2017, standard edition signed softcover book (1800 copies, sold out)/special limited edition signed and numbered hardcover book with signed and numbered companion print (200 copies, sold out), published by Film Photographic and Refueled magazine

2020 - IN THE GOLD DUST RUSH SELECTED AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHS 2008 — 2020, standard edition hardcover book (1100+ copies (165 signed), sold out)/50 copies designated as signed and numbered special limited edition with signed and numbered slipcover and signed and numbered companion print (released 2023, sold out), published by Stanley/Barker

2021 - Galveston, hardcover book (2500 copies (1100+ signed), sold out), published by Galveston Historical Foundation and Film Photographic on the occasion of the foundation’s sesquicentennial

2023 - TX | CA 17, softcover book (1500 copies), published by Stanley/Barker

SELECTED MEDIA

2015 - Table Talk, Episode 1, Monster Children magazine, web video interview

2016 - Visual Revolutionary, podcast interview

2016 - Capturing Americana with Jason Lee, polaroid.com, web article

2016 - The Shoot With Matt Day, podcast interview

2016 - Jason Lee’s Photography of a Dust-Covered America, Format magazine, web article

2017 - The Kodakery, podcast interview

2017 - Our City: A Los Angeles Photography Show, short documentary film about the Our City group photography exhibition and its participants, directed by Exploredinary

2018 - Sanderson to Brackettville, short documentary film about the making of A PLAIN VIEW, directed by Parker Hill

2018 - For the Love of Film, Kodachrome magazine, Issue 3, print article about Film Photographic

2018 - Ilford Inspires, Legends of Skateboarding: The American Photo Road Trip, short documentary film, directed by Exploredinary

2018 - Think More Shoot Less - The Jason Lee Interview, web video interview

2019 - From LA To T-Town - Art Desk magazine, web/print article

2019 - Get To Know: Jason Lee’s Small Town America - Intrepid Camera, web article

2019 - More than OK: Jason Lee Prepares for his Premiere Museum Solo Show - Humble Arts Foundation, web article

2019 - How Skateboarder Turned Actor Jason Lee Started Photographing the American West - Vanity Fair, web article

2019 - Larry Clark, Jason Lee exhibits show Oklahoma from inside, outside - Tulsa World, web/print article

2019 - Jason Lee: Oklahoma - Lenscratch, web article

2019 - Analog Talk, podcast interview

2020 - The Contact Sheet, podcast interview

2021 - The Photo Banter, podcast interview

2021 - a conversation with Jason Lee, web video interview with photographer Matt Day

2021 - Nearest Truth, podcast interview

2021 - In Conversation with Jason Lee About His New Book "Galveston" - Lomography magazine, web article

2022 - Somewhere a Little Further Away: Jason Lee Interviewed by Joshua Edwards - Bomb magazine, web article

2022 - INTERVIEW: JASON LEE: PHOTOGRAPHER - Japan Camera Hunter, web article

SELECTED EVENTS

2016 - Photography and publishing panel discussion with Chris Brown, Publisher Refueled magazine, Polacon Instant Film Convention, Patterson-Appleton Arts Center, Denton, Texas, hosted by Instant Film Society and Greater Denton Arts Council

2017 - A PLAIN VIEW exhibition walk-through and artist talk, Artspace 111, Fort Worth, Texas

2017 - A PLAIN VIEW exhibition walk-through and artist talk, Preacher Gallery, Austin, Texas

2018 - Artist talk with Scott Stulen, President and Director Philbrook Museum of Art, and A PLAIN VIEW book signing, Magic Eye Bookstore, Tulsa, Oklahoma

2018 - Instructor photography workshop and A PLAIN VIEW book signing, Leica Store Boston

2018 - Artist talk with Aline Smithson of Lenscratch and A PLAIN VIEW book signing, Arcana: Books on the Arts, Los Angeles, California

2018 - Artist talk and A PLAIN VIEW book signing, Patterson-Appleton Arts Center, Denton, Texas, hosted by Greater Denton Arts Council

2018 - Artist talk, slideshow presentation, and A PLAIN VIEW book signing, George Eastman Museum, Rochester, New York

2018 - Instructor large format film photography workshop, Kodak Park, Rochester, New York, hosted by Kodak Camera Club

2021 - American Photographic Artists | San Diego and Museum of Photographic Arts present: An Evening with Jason Lee, live Zoom artist talk and slideshow presentation with Wendy Fisk of American Photographic Arts | San Diego

2022 - Galveston book signing, Bishop’s Palace, Galveston, Texas, hosted by Galveston Historical Foundation

2023 - Artist talk with publisher Gregory Barker of Stanley/Barker and TX | CA 17 book signing, Offprint London

2023 - Instructor photography workshop, Leica Store London

2023 - TX | CA 17 book signing, Arcana: Books on the Arts, Los Angeles, California