Lee Ufan, “Relatum (formerly Language),” cushions, stones, and light, 1971 (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Ave. at 89th St.
Tuesday, July 26, $10, 6:30
212-423-3587
www.guggenheim.org
“Infinity begins with the self but is only manifested fully when connected with something beyond the self,” Lee Ufan wrote in 1993. “I do not want to fix or represent the self as self, but to recognize the existence of the self in relationship with otherness and perceive the world in a place where such a relationship exists.” One of the many pleasures of the Guggenheim’s current dazzling retrospective, “Lee Ufan: Marking Infinity,” is the inclusion of many quotes from the Korean visual artist and theoretician, who has written extensively about his work specifically as well as the making, or “not-making,” of art in general. Scattered throughout the exhibit and translated on the audioguide, the quotes lend thought-provoking, illuminating insight into Lee’s creative process. On Tuesday, July 26, a group of artists and thinkers will gather among Lee’s Mono-ha (“School of Things”) “living structures” and paintings and read selections from his writings, including Laurie Anderson, Jonah Bokaer, Young-ha Kim, Larissa MacFarquhar, Andrew Solomon, and John Yau, followed by a reception. “Expression achieves externality that is simultaneously passive and active. I hope to cut into the controlled everyday reality of industrial society, breathing fresh air into it and stimulating an awareness of infinity that transcends the human, to awaken a world that is always open,” Lee wrote in 1970. This special program is being held in conjunction with the Korea Society exhibition “The Writings of Lee Ufan,” which continues through August 15; the Guggenheim show runs through September 28.