The article profiles Korean-born artist Lee Ufan, who turns 90 next month, and his transcendental art on Japan's Naoshima island. It describes his upcoming major shows: a retrospective in Venice coinciding with the Biennale, and an exhibition at Dia Beacon in New York. Lee, a key figure in the Mono-ha movement, creates works like the steel arch "Porte Vers l'Infini" on Naoshima that engage with nature and perception. The piece traces his career from early violent, resistant sculptures involving cracked glass and boulders to later meditative paintings and installations.
This matters because Lee Ufan represents a bridge between Eastern and Western art philosophies, and his work on Naoshima exemplifies how art can transform a polluted industrial island into a global cultural destination. His upcoming exhibitions at major institutions like Dia Beacon and during the Venice Biennale highlight his enduring influence on contemporary art, particularly through the Mono-ha movement's exploration of materials and relationships with nature. The article also underscores the role of visionary patrons like Sōichirō Fukutake in creating immersive art environments.