More often than not, the bustling commercial hub that is Belize City serves as just a stopover point for international travelers on their way to the cayes or deeper inland. This month, however, the highly underrated city will be receiving some well-deserved love in the most creative of ways. Beautiful Belize City is a collection of artwork by Taiwanese Belizean artist Yaoling Lee that is set to launch on Friday, September 6th. A publication born from collaboration, the book features 21 urban sketches of Belize City alongside Lee’s thoughts on her creative process. It also includes the work of 22 Belizean writers. From the buzzing streets of downtown to scenes of everyday life, here’s what art lovers (and lovers of all things Belize) can expect from this upcoming publication.
See Belize City Through the Eyes of an Artist
If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of her “in the zone” as she sits painting an unassuming hotdog stand or a brilliant sunset by the sea. And, according to Yaoling Lee, it is a combination of curiosity and an appreciation for the city she has called home that drives her to capture those moments in her countless urban sketches. It’s also what led her to compile 21 of those sketches in her new book, Beautiful Belize City. Through her book, Lee hopes to portray Belize City in a positive light and to show others the beauty in the city that they may have not noticed until now.
Alongside each watercolor painting, readers of the book will be able to learn a bit about Belize’s history and culture through small, poetic snippets shared by some of the country’s writers.
I mainly did this because I wanted to know about Belize City and I think it’s a real benefit to the readers that get to know also… because I learned so much from those writers.”
-Yaoling Lee to 7 News Belize
The scenes captured in Beautiful Belize City include everything from a lonely meat pie stand and an iconic “tattoo house” to the winding Belize river and even a downtown super sale.
“I want people to stop just for a few seconds and look around at our surroundings. It’s beautiful,” said Lee to local media house 7 News Belize. “Just stop for a while and feel the surroundings and just breathe and I think that will give you a whole different perspective and it might change a little bit how you see Belize City.”
All images © Yaoling Lee. Beautiful Belize City is available for preorder on Yaoling Lee’s website.
