Dia Art Foundation announced that it has added artworks by two artists, Lee Ufan and Kishio Suga, to its collection. Both artists are considered to be members of the Mono-ha movement that emerged in Japan in the 1960s.

According to Dia, these new acquired pieces will introduce the movement of Mono-ha, which focuses on natural and man-made materials in alighnment with the interests of Art Povera, Land art, and Minimalist art.

The acquisition includes three works by Lee Ufan and five by Kishio Suga. The works by Lee are Relatum (formerly System, 1969), Relatum (formerly Language, 1971), and Relatum (1974). The five works by Suga are Diagonal Phase (1969/2012), Abandoned Situation (1971), Placement of Condition (1973/2016), Separating Dependence (1973/2013), and Perimeter (1985).

The addition of works by Lee and Suga incorporate intellectually and historically connected practices that emerged in conversation with, but remain distinct from, American and European art movements, allowing Dia to present the diverse range of practices that developed internationally in the 1960s.

In 1972, Lee changed the titles of the works that he had made up to that point to Relatum, a title that was chosen for its reference to Heideggerian philosophy and a title that conveyed the artist’s interest in contingent circumstances. His use of “Relatum” can be compared to the frequent use of “untitled” by American Minimalists. The three works by Lee make use of materials such as steel, wood, and rope. Dia will present these works by Lee at Dia:Beacon in spring 2018.

 

Hana Yun / Editor, theArtro