Catalogue: ART VITAL—12 Years of Ulay/Marina Abramović

ART VITAL—12 Years of Ulay/Marina Abramović will offer, for the first time, a multifaceted insight into the unique and unyielding joint artistic path and private life of the artist duo Ulay and Marina Abramović, spanning from 1976 to 1988. The exhibition at Cukrarna Gallery will open on November 30, on the day of their shared birthday. ART VITAL is the first exhibition to offer a comprehensive and in-depth examination of the life and work of these two influential artists. Eschewing a strictly chronological format, the exhibition will be structured around thematic strands that highlight their nomadic way of life and reveal an extended personal archaeology. Together, these elements create a layered portrait that speaks to the artists’ shared commitment to pushing artistic and geographic boundaries in transcultural and transhistorical ways.

The exhibition presents the most extensive account to date of their twelve-year collaboration, from their first performance, Relation in Space (1976) at the Venice Biennale, to their symbolic farewell performance The Great Wall Walk (1988). Ulay and Marina Abramović played a pivotal role in shaping the evolution of performance art and left an invaluable mark on the art historical discourse of the 20th century. Their nomadic spirit and their interconnectedness with the world around them were the driving forces behind their commitment to art. They were unstoppable. They were one.

The selection includes notable works such as Imponderabilia (1977), Relation in Movement (1977), and Rest Energy (1980), alongside lesser-known pieces such as Charged Space (1978), Three (1978), The Brink (1979), Communist Body/Fascist Body (1979), Nature of Mind (1980), Terminal Garden (1986), among many others. Among the highlights of the exhibition, in addition to the Citroën van that was their home for five years, are Bone Curtain (1985), The Sun and the Moon (1987), as well as photographs, relics, and artworks from the Nightsea Crossing series (1981–1986). Beside the already canonised performances, presented through video documentation, photographic series, and memorabilia, there will be an emphasis on the rich archival material: original photographs, letters, cards, personal notes, sound recordings, correspondence with institutions, diaries, much of which will be on public display for the first time.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of events, including reperformances of Work Relation (1978) and Similar Illusion (1981), as well as one-off stagings of the notorious performances Light/Dark (1977), Breathing In/Breathing Out (1977), and AAA-AAA (1978), alongside film screenings and talks. The opening will be preceded by the publication of the book Love. Hate. Forgiveness, featuring photographs from their twelve years together and offering insight into the turbulent period that followed their break-up. The exhibition catalogue—featuring thirteen texts by prominent international authors, reproductions of the exhibited works, and archival and documentary visual material—is intended to be as a source book for further research.

ART VITAL—12 Years of Ulay/Marina Abramović will offer a glimpse into the intimate world of the two artists who uniquely intertwined life with art and art with life, beyond the iconic images. The exhibition is being produced in close collaboration between Cukrarna Gallery, the ULAY Foundation, and Lena Pislak, as well as the Marina Abramović Archives and Sydney Fishman, with the support of museums and institutions, including macLYON, Akron Art Museum, Kunstmuseum Bern, and the Kröller-Müller Museum.

Curated by Alenka Gregorič and Felicitas Thun-Hohenstein.

Timed-entry tickets for the exhibition are now available via the online ticket platform mojekarte.si.