Lee Ufan

About Lee Ufan
Lee Ufan was born in Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea, in 1936, while the country was under Japanese occupation. In 1956, following training in traditional ink-brush techniques at Seoul National University High School, he moved to Tokyo, where he studied philosophy at Nihon University. In 1967, he had his first solo show at Sato Gallery, Tokyo, and, in 1968, his work was included in Contemporary Korean Painting at Tokyo Museum of Modern Art. In 1969, Lee staged an ephemeral happening and made contingent structures for the 9th Contemporary Art Exhibition of Japan at Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art, which signaled a departure from his earlier optical, discrete paintings. This show brought together Japanese artists identified with Mono-ha (School of Things). Throughout the 1970s, the artist participated in several exhibitions that juxtaposed North American, East Asian, and European artists to highlight their shared concern with material, process, and site. A dedicated teacher and prolific cultural critic, Lee published 17 books. In recent years, acclaim for his work has brought him exhibitions worldwide. In 2010, the Lee Ufan Museum, designed by Tadao Ando, opened in Naoshima, Japan. Increasingly distilled and monumental, the artist's sculptures continue to combine natural and industrial materials, in keeping with his relational philosophy. Lee lives in Kamakura, Japan, and Paris.

About Dia Art Foundation

Taking its name from the Greek word meaning "through," Dia was established in 1974 with the mission to serve as a conduit for artists to realize ambitious new projects, unmediated by overt interpretation and uncurbed by the limitations of more traditional museums and galleries. Dia's programming fosters contemplative and sustained consideration of a single artist's body of work, and its collection is distinguished by the deep and long-standing relationships that the nonprofit has cultivated with artists whose work came to prominence particularly in the 1960s and '70s. 

In addition to Dia Beacon, Dia Bridgehampton, and Dia Chelsea, Dia maintains and operates a constellation of commissions, long-term installations, and site-specific projects, notably focused on Land art, nationally and internationally. These include:
Walter De Maria's The New York Earth Room (1977) and The Broken Kilometer (1979), Max Neuhaus's Times Square (1977), and Joseph Beuys's 7000 Eichen (7000 Oaks, inaugurated in 1982 and ongoing), all in New York
De Maria's The Lightning Field (1977), in western New Mexico
Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty (1970), in the Great Salt Lake, Utah
Nancy Holt's Sun Tunnels (1973–76), in the Great Basin Desert, Utah
De Maria's The Vertical Earth Kilometer (1977), in Kassel, Germany
Cameron Rowland's Depreciation (2018)

About SMAC Venice
SMAC Venice (San Marco Art Centre) opened in Piazza San Marco, Venice, in May 2025. Every year SMAC Venice presents a dynamic and vibrant program of exceptional exhibitions across art, design, fashion, and film, offering opportunities for discovery for specialists and the general public alike.

Situated in one of the most iconic locations in the world, SMAC Venice is located on Piazza San Marco inside the Procuratie, which was recently restored by Pritzker Architecture Prize–winning architect David Chipperfield, reimagining it as a hub of social inclusion and culture. SMAC Venice's location has been made possible due to a landmark agreement with Generali, the owner of the Procuratie. On the third floor there is The Home of the Human Safety Net, with the interactive exhibition A World of Potential.

Across its 16 galleries, SMAC Venice's program sheds light on the unexpected, challenges conventions, and poses rigorous questions. Through research, dialogue, and experimentation, SMAC Venice critically examines contemporary visual culture and its relation to history, science, philosophy, and society. SMAC Venice is a spontaneous and experimental organization that tests traditional models of art institutions and exhibition making. It welcomes collaboration, providing institutions, artists, and creative practitioners with a platform in Venice.

SMAC Venice's founding is rooted in the belief that the arts are more important than ever to the human experience, opening new possibilities for coexistence and allowing cities and communities to thrive.