Asian Lives Matter: In Memory of My Friend Corky Lee (2021, Central Park West, NYC)

“I saw this scene at Central Park West and 65th St. in early May after leaving a dentist's appointment, and I felt compelled to take a photo. I know Corky, of course, would have been covering the issues around the current shocking surge of anti-Asian violence. I think he would have appreciated the cardboard box in the background, which was a touch of realism/reality that I tried to get into the shot."

How did you know Corky?

“I met Corky when I started working at The Villager in 1998 as a reporter/assistant editor and he was a freelance photographer for the newspaper. I continued working with him after I became The Villager's managing editor. I remember I submitted one of his 9/11-related photos — of a Sikh man at a vigil — to the annual New York Press Association's Better Newspaper Contest and it won a first-place award. However, the judge, in his or her comments, wrote that the Sikh had a ‘menacing’ expression. Corky and I had a laugh together about that; the guy's expression was totally placid.”

About the artist

Lincoln Anderson is the founder and editor of The Village Sun, an online downtown newspaper. For 20-plus years Anderson was the editor of The Villager, during which the publication won many photo awards, including for work by Corky. Anderson lived in Japan for one year teaching English. He is a native Manhattanite.

Website: https://thevillagesun.com/