Lee Ufan: The Beauty of Emptiness and Mono-ha's Legacy
Lee Ufan, an artist originally from Korea residing in Paris, plays a significant role in the Mono-ha movement that took shape in Tokyo between 1968 and 1975. This movement, which translates to 'School of Things,' focuses on materials and abstraction as a reaction to Japan's industrial growth. It was initiated by Nobuo Sekine's 'Phase–Mother Earth' (1968), a 2.7-meter excavation for the Sumu Rikyu Park Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition, developed alongside Susumu Koshimizu and Katsuro Yoshida. Artists within Mono-ha challenged Western Modernist principles, often creating temporary, site-specific installations. Introduced by Sekine, Lee Ufan proposed that art represents a web of relationships, a concept reflected in his 'Relatum' series. His works are housed in the Lee Ufan Museum (2010) and Space Lee Ufan (2014), with significant exhibitions at Tate Modern and Serpentine Gallery.
Key facts
- Lee Ufan is a Korean-born artist based in Paris.
- Mono-ha movement occurred in Tokyo between 1968 and 1975.
- Nobuo Sekine's 'Phase–Mother Earth' (1968) is a key early work.
- The work was recreated in 2008 at Den-en Chofu Seseragi Park.
- Lee Ufan's 'Relatum' series began in the 1960s.
- Lee Ufan Museum opened in 2010 at Benesse Art Site, Naoshima, designed by Tadao Ando.
- Space Lee Ufan opened in 2014 at Busan Museum of Art.
- Ufan's philosophy: 'What you see is what you don’t see.'
Entities
Artists
- Lee Ufan
- Nobuo Sekine
- Susumu Koshimizu
- Katsuro Yoshida
Institutions
- Tate Modern
- Serpentine Gallery
- Lee Ufan Museum
- Benesse Art Site
- Busan Museum of Art
- Galerie Kamel Mennour
- Sumu Rikyu Park
Locations
- Tokyo
- Japan
- Kobe
- Den-en Chofu Seseragi Park
- Naoshima
- Busan
- South Korea
- Paris
- France
- London
- UK