Story: Lee Ufan Shares How He Makes Money Through Paintings 'Devoid of Being'

By Marvie Basilan, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, December 08, 2015

Back in the early 70s, a military dictatorship ruled Korea, and when Lee Ufan went back to his hometown, he realized the need to create a difference in a community where freedom of expression was held in bondage by the dictatorial regime.

Along with a group of painters who believed in his cause, Ufan developed a type of art that is created from basically "nothing." The group, known for its monochrome art, was given the name Tansaekhwa or Dansaekhwa, which can be translated as "school of white."

"Within this context these artists were expressing something that was devoid of being and which neither represented an image or a message," Ufan explains.

Ufan's latest art show, which can be viewed at Pace Gallery in London, features crystalline paint created from ground mineral pigments and glue obtained from animal skin. It should be noted that the paintings were created 40 years back, and until today, the paint glimmers in the presence of light.

While the paintings that Ufan and his Tansaekhwa peers were made decades ago, they make for a whopping fortune when combined all together. The artworks come with a hefty price at auctions but are still cheap compared to art pieces created by Westerners.

According to CNN, Tansaekhwa art, including that of Ufan's, are slowly being recognized by the society and many contemporary artists have also started to adapt the minimalist concept that brings nothing to life.

The aged artist appreciates the recognition and attention that he and his friends are getting from a world that has largely accepted contemporary art. "I am glad that fellow Korean artists from the 1970s are getting their due respect. I do hope the artists will focus more on the issue at hand rather than the commercial value of the artwork," he says.

Ufan is now 79 years old, and while it seems that his works took a lot of time to be placed on the spotlight, he is pretty busy with his recent art show and other invites that he still has to tend to.