LEE U-fan
South Korea/Japan b.1936
Lee U-fan was born in 1936 in Seoul and has lived in Japan since 1956. He is a painter and sculptor who arrived at his practice through the study of comparative philosophy. In the late 1960s and 1970s, he was a founding member of the important Mono-ha (‘school of things’) movement. Mono-ha challenged Western-dominated notions of the avant-garde and the consumerism that emerged as part of Japan’s modernisation after World War Two. Lee U-fan’s interest in philosophy is manifest in the extremely meditative and concentrated nature of his work. More information about the artist
Lee U-fan’s ‘Relatum’ sculptures present an alternative to consumer-based materialism. These works are constructed from simple materials — rock and metal. Each element is selected for its unique characteristics and inherent ability to heighten our understanding of the external and internal world. Relationships are crucial in these works — between the elements that make up the works and between the works, the space that surrounds them, and the viewer. Elusiveness and flux are also central concepts, and these sculptures are unique on each occasion they are exhibited.
With his gestural and calligraphic painting series such as ‘From line’, ‘With winds’ and ‘Correspondance’, Lee U-fan demonstrates his respect for traditional techniques and values, while painting on Western canvas instead of the more conventional paper. In his paintings, Lee creates a series of brushstrokes or marks in correspondence with each other as well as with the open space that contains them. These works reject illusionism and symbolism, and attempt to bring the viewer to a higher state of consciousness and perception. This artist is featured in the Education Resource Kit. List of works in APT 2002 Artists and Works Print friendly version |
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