Hirshhorn Museum will debut largest site-specific installation by artist Lee Ufan in fall of 2019

In the upcoming year, Washington, D.C.’s Hirshhorn Museum will fill its more than four-acre outdoor plaza with approximately 10 new sculptures by Korean artist Lee Ufan. The sculptures created for this site-specific commission will be from the artist’s signature and continuing “Relatum” series. This will be the first time that Ufan has exhibited in the nation’s capital and the first time in the museum’s 44-year history that the plaza is devoted entirely to one artist.

According to a press release, “Each of the sculptures will be created in response to the museum’s unique architecture.” Ufan will use regional materials in his new works with installation beginning in the summer of 2019. The materials will likely contrast each other as that is what Ufan is known for.

“Through my planning and the dynamic relationships between these elements, a scene is created in which opposition and acceptance are intertwined,” said Ufan in a statement.

Ufan is a leading founder of the late 1960s Japanese movement called Mono-ha, or “School of Things.” With this, he views art as an encounter between the viewer, the materials, and the site.

“We are delighted to present this significant commission by Lee Ufan, one of the pioneering figures of postwar Japanese art,” said Hirshhorn Director Melissa Chiu in a statement. “Each ‘Relatum’ emphasizes the unique ability of art to transcend modern time and thought, and together in prominent view of the National Mall, they will create a space of reflection and repose for our community.”

• Hirshhorn Announces Largest Site-Specific Installation in the U.S. by Acclaimed Artist Lee Ufan [Hirshhorn]