Leading contemporary artist Lee Bul, who has gained greater international recognition than domestic fame, will be featured in a comprehensive career survey at Seoul's prestigious Leeum Museum of Art. The exhibition, titled "Lee Bul: From 1998 to Now," represents the first major survey dedicated to the artist in South Korea, showcasing approximately 150 works spanning from the late 1980s to the present day.

The 61-year-old artist has been widely celebrated internationally since representing South Korea at the 1999 Venice Biennale, generating significant interest from foreign institutions worldwide. Her groundbreaking work has established her as one of Asia's most influential contemporary artists, particularly in the realm of sculptural installation and conceptual art.

"Lee Bul carved her way through Korea's male-dominated art world in the late 1980s, establishing herself as an innovator," explained Kim Sung-won, Leeum's deputy director, during a press conference announcing the upcoming exhibition. "Her innovative spirit continued thereafter. From the late 1990s onward, she demonstrated a body of work that penetrated the spirit of the times, expressing human failure and frustration through her own unique sculptural languages."

Kim further emphasized that the exhibition "poses questions about the essence of our time and deeply illustrates her as a social observer who shows a sharp insight into the era." She added that "the moment you step into the exhibition space, you will have the experience of entering the artist's mind."

Visitors will be immediately greeted by one of Lee Bul's most striking installations: a giant metalized balloon suspended overhead at the exhibition entrance. This massive 17-meter-long airship balloon, first unveiled at the 20th Sydney Biennale in 2016, has become one of her most iconic large-scale installations, symbolizing the failed utopian dreams of modernity.

Expanding on this theme of failed utopias is "Civitas Solis II," another large-scale installation that dominates the majority of Leeum's Blackbox exhibition hall. The title references "Civitas Solis" or "City of the Sun," a utopian philosophical work by Tommaso Campanella. This sprawling city-like sculpture, composed of plexiglass, mirrors, and LED lights, creates an immersive environment that challenges viewers' perceptions of space and reality.

The exhibition also features "Cyborg W6," part of Lee Bul's celebrated Cyborg series created between 1997 and 2001. This sculpture presents a fragmented female body that directly challenges objectification while emphasizing themes of incompleteness and transformation. The work reflects the artist's ongoing exploration of gender, technology, and the human condition in contemporary society.

Another highlight is "Via Negativa," an immersive mirror installation originally unveiled in 2012 and later reconfigured in various versions for different venues. This work allows visitors to navigate through a large maze of mirrors, encountering endless reflections and constantly changing perspectives. The installation embodies Lee Bul's deep interest in spatial perception and the psychological experience of viewing art.

When asked about how she has defined her artistic identity since gaining international recognition in the late 1990s, Lee Bul offered a characteristically thoughtful response: "I don't define myself. In fact, even back then, it was not something I defined myself. I simply created works based on my interests." However, she emphasized her philosophical belief that the past maintains a constant presence in contemporary life.

"The past is not simply something that has passed or been forgotten. It always returns to the present. And it does so through infinite repetition," the artist explained. "What the audience chooses and experiences from among the past, present and future forms that I continuously breathe into my work, that is entirely up to what they desire."

"Lee Bul: From 1998 to Now" is scheduled to open on Thursday and will run through January 4 of next year. The exhibition is co-organized by Leeum and Hong Kong's M+ Museum, and is planned to continue as a touring exhibition at international venues following its Seoul presentation. This collaboration represents a significant effort to bring Lee Bul's work to broader global audiences while celebrating her contributions to contemporary art over the past several decades.