Artist

Lee Ufan

Born in Kyongnam, 1936 and lives in Japan and Paris

Lee Ufan (born in 1936 in Kyongnam, South Korea) is a transnational artist, living and working between Japan and Paris.

He developed his practice in the 1960s as a founding member and pioneer of the avant-garde, Tokyo-based Mono-ha movement, a group that served as a touchstone in the development of contemporary art in Asia. Mono-ha (‘School of Things’) arose amid the collapse of colonial world orders and authoritarian protests, and served as a critique of Western notions of representation, with a collection of young artists opting to focus on the relationships between materials and perceptions rather than on intervention. Lee’s works are characteristic of this school of thought, using natural stones and pigment to enhance the experience of the materials and to represent their interconnectedness.

A crucial element of Lee’s practice is a conscious reduction, with complete focus on the essential elements – in particular the body and gesture. The artist utilizes his body performatively in the creation of each work; painting from a position above the canvas, he lies on a wooden plank placed over the surface of the work, like a bridge. As such, Lee feels he is a part of the canvas and can immerse himself within it.

Exhibitions
Exhibitions
Janus
Palazzo Diedo, Venice’s first major new space dedicated to contemporary art for more than a decade,...
20 Apr 2024 - 24 Nov 2024
Palazzo Diedo
Venice
Exhibitions
Lee Ufan: Response
Lee Ufan’s latest exhibition at London’s Lisson Gallery includes six new paintings and...
16 Nov 2021 - 22 Jan 2022
Lisson Gallery, 27 Bell Street
London
Exhibitions
The Eastern Gesture – Five Voices from the Korean Avant-garde
Dep Art presents "The Eastern gesture", a group exhibition presenting the work of five renowned artists that redefined Korean contemporary art.
04 Mar 2020 - 09 May 2020
Dep Art
Milan
Art Spaces
Lisson Gallery, 22 Cork Street
Galleries in London
Pace Gallery Geneva
Galleries in Geneva
Pace Gallery Hong Kong | Entertainment Building
Galleries in Hong Kong
Lisson Gallery, 27 Bell Street
Galleries in London
Lisson Gallery, 67 Lisson Street
Galleries in London
Lorenzelli Arte
Galleries in Milan
Whitestone Gallery – H Queen’s Building
Galleries in Hong Kong
Dep Art
Galleries in Milan
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