Lee Ufan’s Gate to Infinity: From Naoshima to Global Retrospectives

The arch Porte Vers l’Infini, known as Gate to Infinity, dominates Naoshima’s coast, where billionaire Soichiro Fukutake’s 1989 redevelopment and architect Tadao Ando’s gallery designs set scene. Designed by Lee Ufan, it spans 11 m high and 13 m wide, linking two sand-coloured boulders with a runway-like plate. Lee describes the work as a portal that lets viewers “feel the deep breath of the universe.”

The Guardian

Born 1936 in Korea, Lee moved to Japan to study philosophy. After seeing Nobuo Sekine’s *Phase: Mother Earth*, he joined Mono-ha, making early works such as cracked-glass Relatum and wind-driven Things and Words (1969). He created From Line paintings, authored 17 books, and emphasized dialogue between interior and exterior, treating silence as material.

The Guardian

1936 – Lee’s birth; late 1960s – Mono-ha works; 1969 – Things and Words installation; 1970 – barred from New York art festival; 1989 – Naoshima redeveloped as an art island; 1994 – Kusama’s pumpkin installed; 2026 – Lee turns 90, Venice Biennale retrospective and Dia Beacon exhibition open.

The Guardian

Visitors walk through the steel arch, remove shoes, and enter a white-curved gallery displaying three wall-mounted works from Lee’s Dialogue series, each a gradient grey lozenge built from layered brushstrokes over a week. The space invites slow observation of the line’s fade into white, fostering contemplation.

The Guardian

Lee says his art creates a “vibration” through viewer engagement, not his authority, and he opposes overproduction, urging restraint and treating silence as material. Naoshima curators call his installations conduits that deepen contemplation and align with the island’s goal of merging nature and culture.

The Guardian

Lee’s early sculptures drew severe criticism from the art establishment, prompting writings. In 1970, a New York art festival barred his participation because of his Korean birth; Lee called the episode “a bit hurt” and used it to reinforce his commitment to cross-cultural dialogue.

The Guardian

Naoshima’s population of 3,000 lives near the Gate to Infinity, which measures 11 m × 13 m. The Lee Ufan Museum holds 17 works; photography is prohibited. Lee has two dedicated museums—Naoshima (Japan) and Arles (France). Dia Beacon will feature eight works.

The Guardian

Lee’s Venice Biennale retrospective will survey his career from the late 1960s onward. The Dia Beacon exhibition will present works from the 1970s From Line series and the 1990s With Winds series, drawing scholarly and public attention.

The Guardian

• “I want my work to take you to a place where you can feel the deep breath of the universe.” — Lee Ufan, artist

The Guardian

• “It’s not my power, but it’s a vibration that happens in the relationship with the person who views it.” — Lee Ufan

The Guardian

• “But I felt I needed to seek out ways to communicate with people who have opposite positions.” — Lee Ufan

The Guardian

• “I think my family had to make some sacrifices for my work,” — Lee Ufan

The Guardian