Rozana Lee


Rozana Lee is a New Zealand artist of Chinese Indonesian descent, notable for her use of textiles.

Early life and family

Lee is a fourth generation Chinese Indonesian, She fled Jakarta to Singapore at a time ethnic Chinese were being severely persecuted throughout Indonesia. Lee never felt belong in Indonesia.
During the Boxing Day Tsunami, Lee lost her mother Rosna, her relatives, childhood friends and family home in Aceh, Indonesia. Lee's father, Karimun survived the tsunami.

Art career

Lee's father and grandfather had a textile shop in Aceh, so Lee grew up with fabrics, with many patterns and colours, and there is always plenty of excess fabric. The shop was destroyed during the Boxing Day Tsunami.
Her artistic journey reflects cultural connections across Central and South East Asia, Pacific Ocean, and Central America. Lee use Indonesian Batik textiles to investigate how cultures evolve through the interactions and exchanges. Her work resonates with her personal experiences of prejudice in Indonesia, and highlights common motifs found in trading ports where diverse cultures come together. This exploration not only showcases the patterns and symbols of different cultures but also underscores the stories behind them and the relationships that shape them.
Lee's research examines how patterns convey historical and aesthetic knowledge of specific cultures, while also serving as a link between generations, diverse cultures, and countries through various means, including early migration, the introduction of religion, international trade, colonisation and cross-cultural exchanges. She makes the patterns with the beeswax with a canting tool on textiles, and the tie-dye she uses all have historical significance.
Her work is held in many private collections overseas and in New Zealand, including the Circuit, University of Auckland, Art House Trust, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, Christchurch Art Gallery.

Residencies

Selected solo and collaborative exhibitions

Selected group exhibitions