Artist Lee Bul explores the futures of humanity at Leeum Museum of Art

This fall, the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul unveils Lee Bul: From 1998 to Now, a landmark survey dedicated to one of the most influential figures in contemporary Korean art. Bringing together nearly 150 works, the exhibition traces over two decades of the artist’s practice, reflecting on the evolving relationship between humanity and technology and the paradoxes of utopian modernity.

Humanity and technology: a central dialogue

Since the late 1980s, artist Lee Bul has explored how the human body and society transform in an age of rapid technological progress. The exhibition presents early series such as Cyborg and Anagram, in which fragmented figures and futuristic forms question the boundaries between human and machine. Through these works, Lee proposes a vision of a posthuman condition where aspiration and fragility coexist.

Monumental visions: Lee Bul artwork in focus

At the heart of the exhibition stands Mon grand récit, an ambitious body of Lee Bul artwork developed since 2005. These architecturally scaled installations are inspired by utopian architecture, avant-garde movements, and fragments of collective memory. The pieces reveal how grand ideals of progress can collapse into ruins, presenting landscapes that are simultaneously hopeful and melancholic.

Other highlights include Willing To Be Vulnerable, a sculptural airship hovering like a futuristic relic, and the Perdu series, where delicate forms evoke both collapse and resilience. Together, these works invite audiences into an allegorical terrain that shifts between physical, psychological, and speculative dimensions.

A global journey of Lee Bul’s art

Lee Bul: From 1998 to Now opens at the Leeum Museum of Art on September 4th, 2025, and runs until January 4th, 2026, before traveling internationally. Co-organized with M+ in Hong Kong, the exhibition is accompanied by the first comprehensive monograph on the artist’s career, published in collaboration with Thames & Hudson.

With this project, artist Lee Bul reaffirms her position as a vital voice in global contemporary art, challenging viewers to reflect on humanity’s ambitions, failures, and the fragile balance between innovation and vulnerability.