The Dia Art Foundation will present a Lee Ufan solo exhibition as an official ancillary event to the 2026 Venice Biennale. The exhibition, which opens on May 9, is curated by Dia director Jessica Morgan and will take place at the San Marco Art Center.
The show in Venice, as well as an exhibition of Lee’s paintings and sculptures at the foundation’s northern Dia Beacon, are tied to the artist’s 90th birthday in June.
Lee, who is associated with both the Mono-ha and Dansaekga movements, is known for spare paintings and installations—for example, a few colorful strokes on a mostly white canvas, or a stone paired with a piece of metal.
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Morgan worked closely with Lee to develop the exhibition, which will review the artist’s seventy-year career, showcasing historic and new paintings and installations, as well as site-specific commissions. The SMAC exhibition will include approximately 20 works and will be presented in eight galleries in the Procuratie in Piazza San Marco.
Morgan told reporters: “Dia and Lee Ufan have enjoyed a deep relationship over the years, and this speech in Venice reflects Dia’s long-term commitment to bringing his work to our public.” art news in an email. “Lee’s practice has long moved between South Korea, Japan and Europe, and hosting this exhibition at SMAC Venice as an official ancillary event to the Venice Biennale, alongside an important contemporaneous presentation at Dia Beacon, allows us to consider the full scope of Lee’s practice across time, place and context. Together, these projects underline the enduring rigor of his approach and the continued relevance of his work today.”
“This exhibition embodies SMAC Venice’s mission to provide a platform for meaningful institutional collaborations and to showcase artists of lasting international significance,” SMAC Venice founders Anna Bursaux, David Gramazio and David Hrankovic said in a statement.
