Lee Ufan and Claude Viallat Reunite at Pace Gallery London

For the first time, Korean artist Lee Ufan and French artist Claude Viallat, who both share the same birth year and are the founders of Mono-ha and Supports/Surfaces respectively, are showcasing their work together in an exhibit called Encounter at Pace Gallery London, curated by Alfred Pacquement. This exhibition, which will be open until July 29, examines how artists from diverse backgrounds have arrived at similar artistic methodologies. In a conversation with ArtReview Asia, they reminisce about their encounter at the 1971 Biennale de Paris, where Viallat first encountered Mono-ha pieces, including a net installation. They discuss their mutual fascination with materiality and repetition, while highlighting their differences: Viallat's work is impulsive and non-symbolic, contrasting with Lee's more intellectual and symbolic approach. Viallat shares a story about sending a postcard of a fishing net to his gallerist Jean Fournier, relating it to his discovery of American artist Robert Rohm's net works. Lee mentions that their friendship and the exhibition's concept arose independently after their reunion in April 2022 at the Hôtel Vernon in Arles.