Lee Ufan is a pioneering Korean artist and academic whose philosophical sculptures, paintings, and writings unearth the vibrancy of material and process with a forward-thinking perspective, immersing viewers in site-specific endeavors. Growing up throughout the Japanese colonization of Korea, Ufan was introduced to the magnetism ink-brush painting at an early age and studied the technique during formative years in school. Initially preferring literature to painting, Ufan delved into themes of culture, art, and philosophy, but chose to study painting at the esteemed College of Fine Arts at Seoul National University. Soon, however, a trip to Japan sparked a change in course, and Ufan moved to Japan and attained a philosophy degree from Nihon University, Tokyo in 1961.
The visionary’s inaugural solo presentation debuted in 1967 at Sato Gallery, Tokyo, alongside his exploratory publication The Aesthetics of Self-Contradiction. Ufan’s drawings and paintings throughout this period evoked his investigation of identity, aesthetics, and cultural output, culminating in visually arresting artworks and the iconic From Point and From Line series. 1968 united the artist with fellow creatives Kishio Suga, Nobuo Sekine, and Takamatsu Jirō, and the like-minded group soon developed the Mono-ha—School of Things. Ufan was spearheaded as a practitioner and theorist, ushering in the collective’s trailblazing new thought on the bonds between matter and space, abandoning Western ideals and generating art from industrial, raw, and organic substances.
That pivotal year evolved into the unveiling of Ufan’s inaugural, site-specific floor-based artwork—Phenomenon and Perception B—within the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. The hulking stone plummeting atop a glass plate would later be retitled as Relatum (1968-). The mid-1970s incited transformation as Ufan became a professor at Tama Art University (1973-2007), and provoked an illustrious return to painting. Ufan quickly grew as a significant leader of Dansaekhwa—the Korean monochrome painting school which fully embraced action, process, and recurring minimalist gestures. During the 1980s, the artist debuted iconic series such as Winds (1982–86), With Winds (1987–91), Correspondence (1991–2006), and Dialogue (2006–), deeply considering the interconnection of space, gesture, and temporality. All the while Ufan perpetually developed his Relatum series of site-specific installations, revealing the experiential creations in both Japan and Europe, and Pace Gallery raised the curtain on the luminary’s first solo exhibition in the United States in 2008.
The distinguished Lee Ufan Museum on the Japanese island Naoshima emerged in 2010, inviting all to experience the beloved creative’s transcendent oeuvre, including more than 17 books published by the artist in dedication to rapturous themes such as poetry, criticism, art history, and philosophy. 2022 brought the much-anticipated unveiling of Lee Ufan Arles at Hôtel Vernon in the south of France, a vibrant new art sanctuary within the 17th century edifice. Designed by close friend and skillful architect Tadao Ando, the mansion shines with a permanent collection of Ufan’s artwork—including bold sculptures and paintings—and gallery spaces for evolving artist exhibitions.
In 2014, Ufan embarked on a two-year residency at the Manufacture de Sèvres in France, extending his thoughtful skill into works of porcelain and terracotta, probing the realms of chance, collapse, and debris by way of fired clay. The artist’s luminous pieces prevail in the world’s leading museums including the Guggenheim Museum, New York; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Tate Gallery, London; and within the permanent collection of the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art and the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Currently, the icon’s sculptures are on view through October 27, 2024, at the Rijksmuseum Garden, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
