“I just came back from windsurfing in Kuantan!” he beams, pointing at the board strapped snugly to the roof of his car.
As if that’s not impressive enough, this father of one also goes dancing almost four times a week. “Music and dance keep your body and brain active,” he says, eagerly showing FMT Lifestyle his freestyle dance videos.
Those dance sessions often end up in his sketchbook, which he carries everywhere.
“It’s like a journal to me. If I see something interesting, I start sketching to document what I saw or experienced,” said Lee, who also goes by the moniker Stan Lee, after the great Marvel cartoonist.
Next year, he will be one of six Malaysian artists showcasing their work in Germany during Berlin Art Week and the interdisciplinary Festival eXoplanet by Theatre Magdeburg, with support from the Steinbeis Foundation.
“The aim is to create an annual platform in Germany to showcase budding Malaysian artistic talent,” explained fellow participating artist, educator, and organiser James Yip. “Truly a good beachhead into art-serious Europe for Malaysian artists who normally don’t hit the global art market.”
Currently, all the artworks by the participating artists – Daeng Ramli Akil, Nor Azlan, Tian Chua, Habsah Abang Saufi, Yip, and Lee – are exhibited at the newly launched Steinbeis University Asean Regional Hub Centre.
Interestingly, Lee may be a veteran artist, but he’s still relatively new to exhibitions. He has been drawing since he was three years old, and works across paintings, marker drawings, comic art, and murals. Yet he only began exhibiting three years ago.
“I always tell people I don’t do exhibitions because I don’t have work to show. The moment I finish a piece, the client takes it,” said Lee, who works in the advertising industry. He began as a book illustrator in 1975 with Universal Publications before moving into advertising.
Surprisingly, he never attended art school.
“My parents were immigrants from China. We rented a room in a big Malay house in Muar. There was no electricity or water. It was very rural, and our parents let us run around all day, as long as we came home in the evening,” recalled Lee, the eldest of seven.
The family moved to Puchong when he was in 10 years old, but life remained tough. “We lived a very spartan existence. Sometimes we didn’t have enough to eat. We’d go to our neighbours and they’d give us food,” he said.
His escape? Superhero comics, especially “Superman” and “The Fantastic Four”.
“They took us away from the dreary environment we grew up in. They gave us an escape,” Lee shared about the superheroes he loved. Inspired, he began copying the drawings while teaching himself to read English.
Over time, he developed his own style, focusing on superheroes. He also dreamed of joining Marvel as a cartoonist. He wrote to the real Stan Lee, enclosing 20 of his original drawings and asking for a job.
“He replied three months later and said Marvel only hired New York-based artists. I was a little sad and disappointed,” Lee admitted. But he kept drawing.
That persistence led him to book illustration, co-creating Apazine, one of Malaysia’s earliest fanzines, in 1985.
He also ventured into advertising. If you look through Malaysia’s ad history, you might recognise some of Lee’s works for brands like McDonald’s and Nestlé.
Now, as he prepares for his German showcase, Lee is excited about what lies ahead.
“It will definitely open up opportunities for me to work on different platforms and subject matters,” he said.
“I’m made in such a way that I love new challenges. If there’s demand for something new, I’ll go for it. I want to keep my mind working very hard.”
And judging by his energy, that mind – and body – aren’t slowing down anytime soon.
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