This summer, the gardens of the Rijksmuseum serve as the stage for the art of Lee Ufan. For his first solo exhibition in the Netherlands, the Korean artist presents nine iconic works from the Relatum series, which he has been continuously working on since the 1970s. The sculptures made of stone and metal engage in dialogue with the nature and architecture of the museum building.
Seven works will be installed in the gardens surrounding the museum, while two sculptures will be placed in special locations within the museum. With these sculptures, Lee Ufan experiments with what he describes as the ‘Art of Encounter’. The minimalist works invite contemplation and a moment of silence and peace on Museumplein.
Lee Ufan is one of the founders of the Japanese avant-garde movement Mono-ha (School of Things), in which artists use raw materials and elements such as stone, iron, and water to explore the relationship between objects and space. Additionally, Lee was a central figure in the South Korean Dansaekhwa movement, in which artists explored abstraction and materiality primarily through monochrome painting. Minimalism, abstraction, and a focus on material are characteristic of both these movements and Lee Ufan’s oeuvre. The dialogue between sometimes contrasting materials, the environment, and the viewer is central.
Lee Ufan in the Rijksmuseum Gardens will be on display from May 28th to October 27th, 2024, in the freely accessible gardens.
The exhibition is curated by guest curator Alfred Pacquement, independent curator and former Director of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and Mels Evers, curator of 20th-century art at the Rijksmuseum.
The exhibition is made possible by the Don Quixote Foundation/Rijksmuseum Fund, Pon, and the Rijksmuseum Club.
