Ulay, artist and performer, Abramović's historical companion, died on March 2, 2020.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himThat March 2 2 years ago was a sad day for the art world and for all those who were moved by the video that immortalized the touching meeting, which took place at Moma in New York in 2010, between Marina Abramović and the his great love.
Ulay is the pseudonym of Frank Uwe Laysiepen, an important and appreciated exponent of Performance art of the 70s. Born in Germany in 1943, Ulay had lived and worked in Ljubljana since 2009, and it was the local press that today announced his death to the whole world.
Ulay worked for many years with the Serbian artist Marina Abramović (from 1976 to 1988) with whom he performed dozens of shows in which they, and especially their bodies, were the real stars of the scene. The couple's performances have always been original and unconventional, extreme forms of body art which led them to explore the limits of not only physical but also psychic resistance.
In addition to being work colleagues, however, they were also a couple in private life but the partnership broke down in the early 90s. For the occasion they created one of the most particular and evocative performances ever. It is about The Lovers: The Wall Walk in China in which Marina and Ulay walked the Chinese wall each from a different end and, after walking 2.500 miles, the two met in the center to say goodbye with a hug that separated them forever.
The affection and emotion they felt for each other, however, never faded. This is testified by performance that Marina Abramović held in 2010 at Moma in New York, “The Artist is Present“. Here the artist looked into her eyes every visitor who sat opposite her. Suddenly, and completely surprisingly, he found himself in front of him, Ulay, the great love of her life that she had not seen for many years now.
The recovery of that moment went around the world, thrilling everyone. If you haven't seen it yet, recover immediately ...
Now Ulay is gone, already he had been battling cancer for years. But even illness, for this out of line man, has become an opportunity to make art. In 2011 he leaves for a whole year and from Ljubljana goes to New York and Amsterdam to meet his lifelong companions and friends. The 2013 documentary Project Cancer directed by Damjan Kozole was born from this journey, which retraces the most important moments of his career.
Photo © Blaz Samec / Delo
To remember Ulay there was the thought of Marina Abramović who greeted her companion in a post on Facebook.
It is with great sadness I learned about my friend and former partner Ulay’s death today. He was an exceptional artist…
Posted by Marina Abramovic on Monday, March 2, 2020
Fonts: Delo / RTV Slovenia
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