Guerlain and Lee Ufan Arles join to create Art & Environment Prize
Perfumes & Cosmetics
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To celebrate the first anniversary of the Lee Ufan Arles art center, founded by South Korean artist Lee Ufan, the center has partnered with Guerlain to create the Art & Environment Prize. Each year the prize will be awarded to a project that explores the myriad fertile relationships between artistic creation and the environment, with an international scope.
Guerlain and Lee Ufan share an ethos that recognizes the importance of supporting and passing on artistic craftsmanship, as well as deep commitments to the arts and the environment. They view this prize as a means to encourage artistic creations rooted in altruism and environmental responsibility, initiating new dialogues with nature.
Springing from shared values, the prize bridges the work of Lee Ufan and Guerlain’s commitments. The artist’s practice spans a crossroads connecting three cultures. Born in South Korea, he subsequently lived in Japan before engaging with European culture. Eschewing an approach centered on a desire to make a mark or impose a vision and an aesthetic that does not take the environment into account, he strives to focus renewed importance on the outside world, placing this concept at the very heart of his artistic quest.
“I’m not looking to verbalize the world or appropriate it, but to be connected to it, to perceive it.” — Lee Ufan
Guerlain has long forged an intimate relationship with nature, through multiple partnerships and initiatives within the scope of the Guerlain for Bees Conservation Program. The Maison has enjoyed a special relationship with bees since the creation of its iconic Bee Bottle in 1853 and has made protection of this natural wonder a cornerstone of its commitments.
“Our aim is to go even further in our commitment to the bees that inspire our creations and guide our actions. This is a fundamental objective for the House. What’s more, protecting bees figures at the very heart of our Raison d’Être.”— Gabrielle Saint-Genis Rodriguez, President and CEO of Guerlain.
This first Art & Environment Prize is open to all artists worldwide, regardless of their artistic discipline. There are no age limits or prerequisite qualifications. Candidates can apply for the prize via this online form.