Dia Mounts Major Lee Ufan Exhibition

A pioneer of the Mono-ha movement in Japan, Lee Ufan developed a sculptural practice in the 1960s that explored the tension between natural and man-made materials and the dialogue between object and space. In 1972 he changed the titles of the works that he had made up to that point to Relatum, referring to a concept in Heideggerian philosophy, which conveyed the artist’s interest in contingent circumstances. His use of “Relatum” can be compared to the frequent use of “untitled” by American Minimal artists.

Developed in close association with the artist, the exhibition at Dia:Beacon in New York reveals Lee’s desire to present the world “as-it-is,” through the relationships between natural and man-made materials and encounters between objects, viewers, and space. The exhibition features five large-scale works, including three recently acquired installations Relatum (formerly System, 1969), Relatum (formerly Language, 1971), and Relatum (1974).

Lee’s work will be placed within the context of his peers who developed Minimal, Postminimal, and Land art practices contemporaneously, such as Michael Heizer, Donald Judd, Robert Smithson, and Michelle Stuart, tracing the formal, material, and conceptual relationships between these artists in Dia’s galleries for the first time. Opening on May 5, 2019, the exhibition will be on view for two years, encouraging long-term public and scholarly engagement with Lee’s work.

For more information, please visit Dia's (opens in a new window) website.