Lee Ufan

The South-Korean born artist Lee Ufan made a risky wager early in his career, introducing 'non-action' into his work. This notion, which recalls traditional Asian values, simultaneously echoes the quest of Modernist and Conceptual Art. A major figure of contemporary art, Lee Ufan is also a philosopher and a poet. During the 1960s in Japan, he contributed to shaping Mono-ha, a movement similar to Italy's Arte Povera and American Minimalism. Casting an eye across the artist's paintings and his three-dimensional oeuvre, from the beginning of his career through to his current work, this volume seeks to understand how Lee Ufan, who has espoused minimising intervention since he began making art, attempts to 'receive' the world in its natural, unadulterated state.