We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.
Lee Ufan / South Korea/Japan b.1936 / With winds 1990 / Oil on canvas / 227.5 x 182cm / The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian Art. Purchased 1998 with funds from Michael Sidney Myer through and with the assistance of the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Lee Ufan
Lee UfanWith winds 1990
Not Currently on Display
Lee Ufan is not only an artist, but also a respected writer and philosopher. With Winds 1990 uses brushstrokes to explore balance and infinite space. Each confident stroke placed on the canvas focuses our attention on the paint as it makes a mark and forms a line. Lee Ufan frequently employs simple, abstract brushstrokes in dark blue and grey tones, which are applied to white canvases or surfaces to create a sense of contrast and openness.
Lee Ufan’s interest in philosophy is revealed in the meditative and concentrated nature of his work. In his paintings, he creates series of brushstrokes or marks in correspondence with each other, as well as with the open space surrounding them. Works such as With Winds 1990 are not busy, nor are they empty — rather, a calm sense of balance is observed. In his practice, Lee Ufan explores the interrelatedness of objects and ideas, consciousness and existence.
Born in Korea, Lee Ufan moved to Japan at the age of 20, completing a degree in modern Western philosophy at Nihon University in Tokyo. In the late 1960s, Lee Ufan’s search for ways to express his ideas led to his involvement in the formation of the Mono-ha (School of Things) movement. Mono-ha, which changed the course of contemporary Japanese art, aimed to shift the focus of art from European and American avant-gardism to an alternative point of view focused on non-Western perspectives.
Lee Ufan has built a career as a critical and activist artist, and also as a writer and philosopher. These disciplines all continue to be vital and related components in the artist’s practice.
Discussion Questions
1. Would using different colours change the meaning the work? Explain your answer.
2. Discuss how Lee Ufan has expressed the idea of infinite space in With Winds.
Classroom Activities
1. Create two abstract paintings using line — one with white paint on black paper and one with black paint on white paper — and experiment with different types of brushes. Reflect on the interaction between the different lines on the paper.
2. Use a number of simple cut-out shapes to create a balanced arrangement on a paper background. Experiment with adding and removing shapes to change the composition. Transform the final composition into a painting.