Lee Ufan - Arles

Accompanied by a text by Jean-Marie Gallais and an interview with the artist by Jessica Morgan, this book sheds light on Lee Ufan's works, which act as revelations.

They draw our attention to materials, to emptiness, to the distance between two elements, to reflections and shadows: everything that we don't necessarily see at first glance, and yet which is part of the work of art.

The collection conserved at the Lee Ufan Arles centre, combining sculptures as well as paintings and drawings, bears witness to a work at the crossroads of three cultures (Korea, where he was born, Japan, where he studied and lives, and France, where he also lives the rest of the year), aiming to be universal.

His sculptures are the result of encounters between natural materials (stone, linen, etc.), industrial materials (steel plates, glass, etc.) and a space; they lead us to meditate on the relationship between man and nature.

His paintings, sometimes produced in series over several decades, are also the basis for reflections on time, gesture and the relationship between fullness and emptiness. Personal expression has faded into the background in a regularly renewed quest for infinity.

Created by Lee Ufan, the exhibition centre of the Lee Ufan Arles museum, opened in April 2022, presents both emblematic and recent works by the Korean artist in a historic building in the city of Arles, the Hôtel Vernon. Since 2017, Lee Ufan, a close friend of architect Tadao Ando, has been working with him to transform the site into a refined artistic showcase in harmony with the multi-faceted architecture of the Hôtel Vernon.