Gordon Lee was born in the British colony of Hong Kong. After finishing high school in 1973, he attended college on scholarship in Canada. During his second year of studies, his major changed from urban planning to fine arts after taking his first art history class. Lee decided to make his impact as a visual artist instead of becoming an architect or city planner. His work often deals with the connection to the found objects, cultural references and textures of the urban landscape. With that, Lee sought to create personal and cultural narratives by utilizing object iconography and juxtapositions.
A professor Emeritus and former chair of the drawing and printmaking departments in the division of Fine Arts at Columbus College of Art and Design, Lee has shown his work in Asia, Europe and North America.
