Leslie Kee facts for kids

Leslie Kee is a famous photographer from Singapore, born on April 5, 1971. He is well-known for his exciting fashion pictures, portraits of celebrities, and artistic photos. Leslie Kee lives and works mainly in Tokyo, Japan, and has also worked in New York.

Early Life and Inspiration

Leslie Kee was born in Singapore. His mother raised him and his younger sister by herself. They lived in a small home and faced many challenges. Leslie went to Bukit Ho Swee East School and Victoria School. When he was 13 years old, his mother gave him a Minolta camera. This gift sparked his interest in photography and inspired him to become a photographer.

From age 13 to 19, Leslie worked at a Japanese electronics factory. After serving two years in the army, he saved all his money. He then moved to Japan in 1993, a country that had always fascinated him.

Becoming a Photographer

When Leslie arrived in Tokyo, he first learned Japanese to overcome the language barrier. He worked three jobs every day for five years, often sleeping only three hours a night! He saved enough money to attend Tokyo Visual Arts School, where he studied photography. He graduated in 1997.

After about a year of searching, Leslie got his big break in 1998. A famous magazine, City Magazine, hired him to photograph the well-known actor Takeshi Kaneshiro for their cover. Vogue Taiwan was very impressed with his work. They asked him to be the first Asian photographer to contribute to a Vogue magazine in Asia. Since then, Leslie Kee has been shooting for VOGUE for almost 20 years.

Famous Works and Clients

Leslie Kee is known for his energetic fashion photos and portraits. He has photographed many global stars, including Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, and Yoko Ono. He has also worked with top brands like Gap, H&M, Adidas, Shiseido, and Uniqlo.

Photography for Good Causes

Leslie Kee is famous for using his photography to help others. He creates charity art books and photo exhibitions with celebrities from around the world. These projects raise money and awareness for important causes.

For example, in 2006, he released his first charity photobook called SUPER STARS. All the money from this book went to help victims of the Sumatra Tsunami Earthquake through the World Vision Organisation. In 2011, his fifth charity photobook, LOVE & HOPE, helped victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake. For this work, he received the 40th APA METI Minister’s Award.

Leslie Kee has published and held over 100 photobooks and photo exhibitions in 20 years. In 2014, he was the first photographer in Asia to be a main speaker for Ted Talk.

In 2015, Leslie started a big project called Out In Japan. This project supports LGBT people in Asia. More recently, he was chosen as the official photographer for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Paralympics portrait messages project, working with NHK Broadcasting.

Leslie Kee's work is very popular in New York and Paris. However, he chose to return to Asia after living in New York for 10 years. He is recognized as one of the most influential fashion and portrait photographers in Asian art history. His life and work continue to inspire young artists, especially students in Japan, China, Singapore, Korea, and across Southeast Asia.

Photo Exhibitions

• PRESENT BY LESLIE KEE (August 2001)
• SUPER ICON/SUPER FANTASY (May 2005)
• SUPER STARS (November 2006)
• SUPER STARS in OSAKA (December 2006)
• SUPER STARS in HONG KONG (February 2007)
• SUPER STARS in SINGAPORE (May 2007)
• FACES OF LOVE (June 2008)
• SUPER TOKYO (April 2010)
• MUSE OF TOKYO BY LESLIE KEE (August 2010)
• TOKYO LOVE STORY BY LESLIE KEE (November 2010)
• SUPER 流行通信 (February 2011)
• SUPER 流行通信 in MILAN (April 2011)
• SUPER 流行通信 in OSAKA (May 2011)
• LOVE & HOPE (May 2011)
• MUSIC BY LESLIE KEE (August 2011)
• LOVE & HOPE + FIVE in HONG KONG (September 2011)
• SUPER MIYUKI MATSUDA (October 2011)
• FOREVER YOUNG (November 2011)
• SUPER LADY GAGA (November 2011)
• SUPER AKI KOMATSU (November 2011)
• SUPER AKIYAMA (November 2011)
• POWER PEOPLE BY LESLIE KEE (February 2012)
• SUPER JIN AKANISHI (February 2012)
• COLORS OF HOPE (March 2012)
• SUPER A/X HOPE (March 2012)
• SUPER MAMA (April 2012)
• SUPER AFRICA (May 2012)
• SUPER AI TOMINAGA (July 2012)
• SUPER ZUCCA (September 2012)
• SUPER YOHJI YAMAMOTO (September 2012)
• YUMING FOREVER (December 2012)
• SUPER DSQUARED2 (March 2013)
• SUPER BARNEYS NEW YORK (August 2013)
• SUPER LOVE (October 2013)
• SUPER KEITA MARUYAMA (August 2014)
• 歌劇 2010-2014 -100th TAKARAZUKA REVUE- (January 2015)
• SUPER TGC (April 2015)
• OUT IN JAPAN x GAP (April 2015)
• SUPER Y-3 ADIDAS (June 2015)
• SUPER YOHJI YAMAMOTO issue 3 (September 2015)
• OUT IN JAPAN x 1000 LGBT (July 2016)
• SUPER YOHJI YAMAMOTO issue 4 (September 2016)
• MODE & MUSE Parco Photo Exhibition (March 2017)
• SUPER YOHJI YAMAMOTO issue 5 (September 2017)
• YOHJI YAMAMOTO homage Photo Exhibition (September 2018)
• WE ARE LOVE Photo Exhibition (November 2018)
• BOOKISH Leica Photo Exhibition (February 2019)