Few artists are able to convey infinity with a brushstroke or to give a presence to nothingness. The source of Korean artist Lee Ufan’s creativity lies in his childhood, where he grew up with strict Confucian ideals and was taught poetry and calligraphy. After moving to Japan in the early 1960s to study philosophy at Nihon University, he grew out of the creative milieu to become a leading exponent of the Mono-ha (“School of Things”) movement, an aesthetic theory that opposed Western modernism. The movement also studied the properties of natural and industrial materials to express its dismay at the unbridled industrialization of Japan.
As part of Art Basel’s “Meet the Artists” series, the 86-year-old master was visited at his studio in Kamakura, Japan. The film serves as a basis for understanding Ufan’s ascetic minimalism and the ways in which his half-century engagement with materials has led to a unique philosophical approach to art. Many of Ufan’s paintings contain – or rather, are conceived around them – cavities and explore the space between two objects to determine their relationship to each other. His unique vision has earned him solo exhibitions in international institutions, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., and the Château de Versailles in France.
The garden featured in this visual profile also houses the artist’s sculptural work. Relatum-dialogue from 2002/11 shows two superimposed steel plates flanked by large boulders, a choreographed encounter between two objects in perfect imbalance. Regardless of the medium, Ufan’s work is a meditation on the silent interaction between art, viewer, and the space that vibrates between them.
Lee Ufan
is represented by Kukje Gallery, Seoul; Pace Gallery, New York; camel mennour, Paris; Lisson Gallery, London; and SCAI The Bathhouse, Tokyo.
EDITOR’S TIP: The current issue of ART BASEL has just ended. Now MIAMI ART BASEL is on the agenda in December 2023. And yes, Basel is always worth a visit, even outside of the art fair. Maybe for lunch at the Roter Bären restaurant in Basel.Here, all menus are served in equal sized – but small portions. The idea is to order several main courses and try your way through the menu. In addition to papardelle and homemade ricotta, there are also fine pike-perch or lamb plhttps://roterbaeren.ch/ates. Therefore – for normal hunger it is best to order three plates at once.
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