Lee Ufan (English version)

Korean artist Lee Ufan (born 1936) initially studied (and wrote) poetry and philosophy. In 1969, he became the theoretician and leader of the Mono-Ha movement in Japan, where he developed his artistic methods and motivations. As a lecturer at the Tama University in Tokyo, he started a career as a painter and a sculptor, and his reputation spread internationally.

In his early minimalist paintings, he combines ground mineral pigment with animal-skin glue, a traditional technique in East-Asian silk painting. Many of his industrial-like sculptures consist of lightly colored round stones and dark, rectangular iron plates.

In an exclusive interview with Michel Enrici, Ufan reveals details of his childhood and examines how his career has developed, covering his moral and aesthetic positions.