In this 2020-2022 project, Lee handed out small 4” x 6” paintings to passersby on the streets of NY. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the NFT boom, Lee distributed 5,000 of his works for free or by donation to make people think about the relation between analog free art and digital paid art.
Contemporary digital technology rapidly changes everyday life and our common sense of Art. “Will AI replace human creativity?” “Everyone can post their creativity easily on the internet, so what is the borderline between artists and ordinary people?” “Why is some art valued at a high price even as an NFT?” “During the pandemic, people have lost direct connections with their neighbors and spend more time on digital content, but do people still want direct connections?” These questions were the core of the Free Art Project, and Lee had countless interactions with strangers on the street about these ideas. Some people were even brought to tears out of appreciation. The project expanded naturally through connections and collaborations with the Techspressionism Art Group and the NY Public Library Picture Collection Team.
