Homework

photographs and text by
Sean Lee

One of the things I try to do in my work is to make my family members touch each other, in particular my parents. This is something that is very new to us. We never touch. Photography in this case becomes a kind of excuse to get them to be physically intimate, even if it is just for a picture, even if it is just for a while. I like to think that this is perhaps another capacity of photography: the capacity to be, in a small way, a kind of healing device.

I find that photography can also be used quite well as a comedic too. Sometimes I make my family do completely weird and crazy things, just so I can make them laugh. This is to me one of the most magical things: making comedy with the camera. Laughter can be a great source of inspiration.

To me, the best thing about this work has been how it has begun to affect all of us in the family and how we interact. This is what I've been looking for ultimately: to be changed by what I do. It is not enough for me to just make images. Ultimately, I want my images to also make me. This work started off as a way for me to organize and to make sense of how I feel towards my family. I'm glad that it has turned into something more. I hope that you, too, will get something out of them.

— Sean Lee