Born in Wendorf, Germany, Uecker studied at the art academies in Berlin and Düsseldorf. He gained international prominence in the early 1960s when he joined the ZERO group, a collective founded by Heinz Mack and Otto Piene that emphasized light, movement, and the rejection of traditional painterly expression.

His practice is defined by the repetitive application of nails, a medium he utilized to explore the interplay between shadow, light, and kinetic energy. By arranging nails in rhythmic patterns, he transformed static surfaces into dynamic, optical environments that shift depending on the viewer's perspective.

Uecker remains a significant figure in the history of Op Art and kinetic sculpture. His work continues to be featured in major institutional surveys of post-war European art, including recent presentations at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art that contextualize his contributions alongside other key figures of the mid-century avant-garde.