Lee Bul Opened Exhibition at Hauser & Wirth
The New York City exhibition features an expansive airship installation titled Willing To Be Vulnerable.
Updated on Oct. 3, 2026 in Fine Art
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Artist Lee Bul has unveiled her exhibition, The Anatomy of Every Setting Sun, at the Hauser & Wirth gallery on West 22nd Street. The show includes a large-scale airship constructed from PET plastic alongside a series of velvet paintings and sculptures.
Why it matters
The exhibition highlights Lee Bul's ongoing exploration of utopian architecture and the intersection of industrial materials with delicate, traditional art forms.
The featured airship installation, Willing To Be Vulnerable -- Metalized Balloon, was created between 2015 and 2020. This installation is kept inflated by a continuous electric blower.
The players
Lee Bul
She is a contemporary South Korean sculptor and installation artist known for exploring themes of utopianism and human fragility.
Hauser & Wirth
It is a prominent international contemporary art gallery that hosts exhibitions by world-renowned artists.
The details
The exhibition utilizes photographs of the artist's own sculptures as the foundation for her velvet paintings. A standout piece is the airship, which evokes the aesthetic of the 1920s and '30s, a period often remembered as the Golden Age of Airships.
Timeline
The exhibition is on view through October 24, 2026.
A survey opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp in November 2026.
Industry Dynamics
Lee Bul's work bridges historical architectural theory and modern sculptural practice, maintaining relevance in an art market that increasingly values large-scale installation art. Her upcoming survey in Antwerp underscores her status as a global figure in contemporary fine art.
Visitors can view the exhibition at the Hauser & Wirth gallery on West 22nd Street until late October. This provides a direct opportunity for the public to experience large-scale installation work in a major New York City venue.
The takeaway
The Anatomy of Every Setting Sun illustrates the enduring relevance of utopian architectural history in contemporary fine art. Viewers are encouraged to visit the gallery before the exhibition concludes in October to witness the integration of industrial materials and textile-based painting.
Further reading
Explore more works and profiles in the Fine Art section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by artnet News.
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