Exposition

Lee Kun-Yong

Lee Kun-Yong’s first-ever exhibition in Switzerland is on view now, featuring paintings and works on paper from the artist’s seminal Bodyscape series (also known as The Method of Drawing). Photographs from a 1976 performance will also be on view.

“My art is not special,” Lee has said. “It’s not unique. It’s about communicating with things that are close to us. So, if the audience looks into it deeply, we’ll be able to find things that relate to us both.” 

The exhibition will include paintings and drawings that are emblematic of the spectrum of Lee’s practice, as well as photographs documenting a 1976 performance. Running from August 28 to November 6, this exhibition marks the artist’s first-ever presentation in Switzerland.

Lee Kun-Yong is widely regarded as one of Korea’s most influential experimental artists. His practice, which spans performance, sculpture, installation, and video, has been instrumental in shaping the trajectory of contemporary art in Korea and beyond. Emerging in the 1960s and 1970s, Lee was at the forefront of the avant-garde movement in South Korea. Alongside contemporaries such as Ha Chong-Hyun, Jung Kangja, and Kim Kulim, Lee helped to cultivate a distinct Korean dialect within the broader context of Conceptual art. This movement did not merely replicate Western trends but developed a unique voice rooted in the sociopolitical landscape of the time. His work challenges the conventional boundaries of art by emphasizing the physicality of the artist's body as a medium of expression.