ULAY Foundation

The exhibition “ART VITAL – 12 Years of Ulay / Marina Abramović” runs through 10 May at the Cukrarna Gallery in Ljubljana. Don’t miss this landmark exhibition in Ljubljana. For the first time, “ART VITAL – 12 Years of Ulay / Marina Abramović” offers a multilayered insight into the uncompromising collaborative work and life of Ulay and Marina Abramović from 1976 to 1988. The iconic partnership between Marina Abramović (b. 1946, Belgrade) and Ulay (Frank Uwe Laysiepen, 1943, Solingen – 2020, Ljubljana) is at the centre of the exhibition. From 1976 to 1988, the two artists lived and worked closely together, merging artistic practice with daily life while challenging conventional notions of authorship and identity. Their work explored vulnerability, resilience, and interdependence, mirroring the intensity of their shared life and creative process. For five years, Abramović and Ulay lived and travelled in a van without a permanent studio or home, fully immersing themselves in their artistic journey. Their collaboration began with Relation in Space (1976), exploring endurance, trust, and intimacy, and culminated in the three-month walk along the Great Wall of China, documented in The Lovers: The Great Wall Walk (1988). The exhibition brings together videos, photographs, drawings, sketches, letters, and diary entries, offering insight into both the public performances and the intimate processes behind them. It also highlights how Abramović and Ulay redefined artistic partnership and self-representation. The show unfolds across all gallery spaces, with works arranged as interconnected chapters. Ljubljana holds particular significance, as Ulay spent the last decade of his life in the city. Organised by curators Alenka Gregorič and Felicitas Thun-Hohenstein in collaboration with the Ulay Foundation, Lena Pislak, Sydney Fishman, and the Marina Abramović Archive. - from the press text Image Credits: ART VITAL – 12 Years of Ulay / Marina Abramović, exhibition at Cukrarna Gallery (MGML, SLO), 2025. Photo © Blaž Gutman / MGML. . @ulay.foundation #ulayfoundation @abramovicinstitute #marinaabramovic @cukrarna.art #cukrarna #charim #charimgalerie #charimgallery

// 🟡 𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗩𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗟 – 𝟭𝟮 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗨𝗹𝗮𝘆 / 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗔𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗰́ #UnveilingArt 30. 11. 2025—10. 5. 2026 at Cukrarna Gallery The exhibition 𝘈𝘙𝘛 𝘝𝘐𝘛𝘈𝘓 – 12 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘜𝘭𝘢𝘺 / 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘈𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘤́ offers for the first time a multilayered insight into the unique and uncompromising collaborative work and life of the artist couple Ulay and Marina Abramović over a period of 12 years between 1976 and 1988. 🟡 Exhibition 𝘈𝘙𝘛 𝘝𝘐𝘛𝘈𝘓 is on view until May 10th 2026 at Cukrarna Gallery in Ljubljana (Slovenia). Get your tickets now. Curated by Alenka Gregorič, Felicitas Thun-Hohenstein. Produced by Cukrarna Gallery (Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana) in collaboration with Lena Pislak – ULAY Foundation; Sydney Fishman – Marina Abramović Archives. Re-performances program: Billy Zhao, Rebecca Davis – Marina Abramović Institute; Mara Anjoli Vujić, Alenka Gregorič – Cukrarna Gallery; Re-performance actors: Primož Bezjak, Katarina Stegnar We gratefully acknowledge the institutions and private owners for their loans and collaborations: Marina Abramović Archives; ULAY Foundation; Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon; Akron Art Museum, Ohio; Collection Dacić Hamburg; Kröller-Müller Museum Otterlo; Kunstmuseum Bern ________ Cukrarna (Muzej in galerija mesta Ljubljane) Poljanski nasip 40 All rights reserved, 2026. ________ Video / Video by MGML/y0yproduction

50 years of Ulay’s masterpiece “Irritation – There is a criminal Touch to Art”. His work from 1976 feels strikingly current in 2026 because many of the conflicts Ulay exposed in 1976 are still unresolved — and in some ways have become even sharper. So “Irritation” is no longer only a historical performance work — it feels almost like a diagnosis of the present. - Migration & Belonging: Who counts as “us”? - Museums & Ownership: Who does art belong to? - Memory Culture & the Rise of the Far Right - Art as Real Action, Not Just Content That is why “Irritation” still feels radical today. It was not a post about protest — it was protest itself. The 1st Edition is on view during the Venice Biennial 2026 at @contemporary_forces in Venice/Giudecca. #ulay @ulay.foundation @contemporary_forces

I am thrilled to announce that our documentary “Ulay: Catching Impromptu” has been selected for the Academy Award Qualifying festival @cinequestorg , and will make its US Premier this month. A few years after the passing of ULAY (1943–2020) – a pioneer in Polaroid photography, body art, and performance art – this documentary was produced in remembrance of his artistic career. Through rare archival footage, viewers witness how this great artist traversed the globe, engaging with diverse cultures and human connections while exploring physical and spiritual states in his practice. This film was built with lots of love from our community - and I can’t thank them enough for their contributions. Special thanks to @ulay.foundation @lenaluks @jiaweispurs ,Philip, Jinlei and @amberkuo2_019 ,none of this would have been possible without your unlimited support. 2 Screenings⬇️ March 20 @ 9:45 PM March 22 @ 4:45 PM Ticket link in bio. #ulay #cinequest #cinequestfilmfestival #cinequest2026 #catchingimpromptu

Charim is pleased to participate at ARCO Madrid, we look forward to seeing you there! ARCO Madrid 4 - 8 March 2026 Come visit us at booth 7A07 We are presenting work by: Eva Beresin Xenia Hausner Dorit Margreiter Choy Ulay We would be happy to send you a sales preview, feel free to contact us. Looking forward to hearing from you! IFEMA MADRID Av. del Partenón, 5, Barajas 28042 Madrid, Spain 6 - 8 March 2026 Preview: 4 & 5 March 2026 (by invitation only) Cover image: Dorit Margreiter Choy. Original photo by Michael Strasser for Kunstverein Schattendorf, 2022. . @feriaarco #feriaarco @evaberesin #evaberesin @studio_xenia_hausner #xeniahausner @doritmargreiterchoy #doritmargreiterchoy @ulay.foundation #ulayfoundation @kunstverein_schattendorf #charim #charimgalerie #charimgallery

// 🟡 𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 / 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 (𝟭𝟵𝟳𝟳) 𝗩 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘂. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀. 𝗞𝗹𝗲𝗰̌𝗶𝘃𝗮, 𝗼𝗯𝗿𝗻𝗷𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗶 𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗲𝗺𝘂. 𝗢𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘇 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝗼𝘀𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗹𝗷𝘂𝗷𝗲𝘁𝗮 𝗱𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗰̌𝗻𝗶 𝘀𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗸𝗶. 𝗜𝘇𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗰̌𝗻𝗼 𝗸𝗹𝗼𝗳𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘃𝗮 𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗴 𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗲𝗴𝗮, 𝗱𝗼𝗸𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗱 𝗻𝗮𝗷𝘂 𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗱𝗻𝗲𝗵𝗮. 🟡 Ulay in Marina Abramović sta performans 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 / 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 prvič izvedla leta 1977 v Kölnu. V nedeljo, 1. 2., pa sta ga v sklopu programa reperformansov ART VITAL, poustvarila umetnika Primož Bezjak in Katarina Stegnar. Reperformansi so živi del razstave 𝘈𝘙𝘛 𝘝𝘐𝘛𝘈𝘓 – 12 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘢 𝘜𝘭𝘢𝘺 / 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘈𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘤́ in omogočajo izkušnjo zgodovinskih performansov tandema, katerih izvirnih izvedb nismo mogli doživeti. Naslednji je na programu reperfromans 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, ki ga bosta umetnika izvedla v nedeljo, 15. 2. 2026, ob 19.30. Vstopnice so v že v prodaji. Vabljeni! 📷 @blazgutman / MGML

🅡 Mobile Energy @abramovicinstitute @ulay.foundation 28/11/2025 — 17/01/2026 Curated by Hana O. O. Haas . . . In 1980, Abramović and Ulay became increasingly interested in hypnosis. After three months in Munich studying under hypnotist Thorwald Dethlefsen and exploring their subconscious, they began to feel their energies merging into a “third existence,” that self. This concept became the basis for a series of four performances created in 1980: Nature of Mind, Timeless Point of View, Point of Contact, and Rest Energy, which together formed the film That Self. In the context of the exhibition Mobile Energy, the two lesser-known performative works Nature of Mind and Timeless Point of View are on view. Documented on camera and existing today solely as video documentation, both were conceived as part of That Self, envisioned as a 43-minute “hypnosis film,” whose first seventeen minutes display only glowing, shifting colors accompanied by pulsating, metallic tones. After its premiere in September 1980, the film was screened exclusively at 4 a.m. during full-moon nights in Amsterdam. Both works mark a shift in the oeuvre of Abramović/Ulay beginning around 1980, as movement and intensity were gradually replaced by stillness and a more meditative, spiritual atmosphere. @ravnikar_org in collaboration with @ulay.foundation 📸©️ Manuel Carreon Lopez | kunst-dokumentation.com #marinaabramovic #ulay #mobileenergy

🅡 Mobile Energy @philippfleischmann 28/11/2025 — 17/01/2026 Curated by Hana O. O. Haas . . . Philipp Fleischmann Film Sculpture (9), 2025 16 mm film, colour, silent, aluminium, polyoxymethylene Variable dimensions Fleischmann’s film sculptures operate as spatial instruments that respond to their exhibition environments through scale, rhythm, and duration. They transform space into resonant chambers for stroboscopic abstractions and chromatic sequences. In Film Sculpture (9), a 16mm film strip moves through projection, LED-lit rails, and material presence. For the first time fully freestanding, projector and screen form part of the sculpture itself, conceived as a Möbius loop where inside and outside merge. As in Fleischmann’s practice overall, the work resists fixity and remains in constant transformation. One Meter of White explores infinite formal variations derived from a single length of 16mm film, repeatedly reworked after the perforations are removed. Philipp Fleischmann (b. 1985, Hollabrunn; lives and works in Vienna) is an artist and filmmaker. Since 2014, he has been artistic director of the School Friedl Kubelka for Independent Film. His work has been shown at the fjk3–Contemporary Art Space, Vienna, Bienal de São Paulo, Biennale de Lyon, Secession Vienna, mumokKino, MAK Schindler Residency Program (LA), Museum of the Moving Image (NYC), Berlinale, and Toronto International Film Festival. In 2025, he received the Austrian Prize for Film and Art. @ravnikar_org in collaboration with @ulay.foundation 📸©️Manuel Carreon Lopez | kunst-dokumentation.com #mobileenergy #philippfleischmann #ulayfoundation

last days #ulay @charimgalerie

Discovering Ulay's solo work at @charimgalerie In a show to coincide with the one of his former partner Marina Abramović at @albertinamuseum , Charim gallery shows a selection of pieces by the man born as Frank Uwe Laysiepen in Germany. What he called "performative photography" immediately brings me close to the young artist of the 1970s: I could feel his quest to find himself in those polaroids where he disconstructs his face - art that reminded me of Annegret Soltau, who cut and sewed photos of her face back together at the same epoch. I also found his series "In Her Shoes" very touching, 6 polaroids in which he shows women's shoes, and cutting his foot to fit into them - a (still) very timely reflection on gender associations (and the fairy tale Cinderella!) Of course, Ulay has been overshadowed by Abramović. Why? Well, watching their performances together, it became clear to me that she was the stronger personality, always ready to go further. Even years later, when they meet at MOMA during "The Artist is Preset", he's the one with tears in his eyes, while she seems much more collected (actually one of my favourite videos, to be watched on youtube). The exhibition at Charim shows Ulay as the more vulnerable, but ultimately equally reflected artist - go see! Thank you @miryamcharim @ulay.foundation #ulay #marinaabramović #charimgallery #contemporaryart

Last Chance to see ULAY at CHARIM until 19 December, 6 pm! The solo exhibition ULAY, curated by Felicitas Thun-Hohenstein and Kurt Kladler, focuses on the pioneering performance artist’s Polaroids and “performative photography” from 1970-2015. These are shown alongside never-before-seen archival material and the film Project Cancer (Damjan Kozole, 2013) documenting the final years of his life and farewell journey from Ljubljana, New York, Berlin and Amsterdam. Ulay’s (1943-2020) credo was: “Aesthetics without ethics is just cosmetics”. In the 2010s, Ulay developed the Pink pain series, extending his inquiry into vulnerability and resilience through the raw, intimate and revolutionary performances he had made with Marina Abramović (see the series: Unhurt). ULAY at CHARIM coincides with Marina Abramović at ALBERTINA Modern, Vienna and ART VITAL – 12 Years of Ulay / Marina Abramović at Cukrarna Gallery, Ljubljana. Image 1: Ulay, Mein Abschied als Einzige Person (My Farewell as a Single Person), 1974, funeral postcard, unique, 10 x 15 cm (postcard), 32 x 37 cm (framed) Image 2: Ulay, exhibition view, Charim Galerie, 2025 Image 3: Ulay, Soliloquy (from the series Renais Sense), 1975, set of 2 original Auto-Polaroids, type 107, 8.5 x 10.8 cm (framed) Image 4: Ulay, Traumatic Fears, 1973, series of 7 Original Auto- Polaroids, type 107, with typewriting (aphorisms in German), 8.5 x 10.8 cm each, 24 x 32 cm (framed each) Image 5: Ulay, archival material, Charim Galerie, 2025 Image 6: Ulay, S'he, 1974, original Auto-Polaroid, series, type 107 8.5 x 10.8 cm Image 7 & 8: Ulay, Death of a Transvestite, 1973, series of 6 original Auto-Polaroids, framed separately each 8.5 x 10.8 cm Image 9: Ulay, Unhurt (Light Dark), Unhurt (Relation in Space), Unhurt (Relation in Time), Unhurt (Point of Contact), Unhurt (Rest Energy), 2015, laser cut steel plate oil print, ed. of 15, 70 x 105 cm & Image 10: Install view of last 3 prints. Photos by Flavio Palasciano. . @ulay.foundation #ulayfoundation @thunhohenstein #felicitasthunhohenstein @kurtkladler #kurtkladler @albertinamuseum #albertina @cukrarna.art #cukrarnagallery #charim #charimgalerie #charimgallery

// V Cukrarni se je odvilo tudi predodprtje težko pričakovane razstave 𝘈𝘙𝘛 𝘝𝘐𝘛𝘈𝘓 – 12 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘢 𝘜𝘭𝘢𝘺 / 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘈𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪ć. Dogodek je združil izbrane goste, predstavnike medijev, kulturne ustvarjalce in podpornike umetnosti, ki so stopili v svet Ulaya in Marine Abramović. Zahvalam in govorom o večletnih pripravah in raziskovanju zapuščine umetnikov temeljnega poglavja performativne umetnosti, je sledil tudi performans, ki je vsebinsko zasidran v načelih manifesta ART VITAL – pristnost, meje telesa in zaupanje. Gostje so tako prvič vstopili v razstavne prostore Cukrarne, kjer so združena dela v obsegu dokumentacije, videov, fotografij, arhivskega materiala in rekonstrukcij nekaterih najbolj prelomnih performansov tandema.   𝘈𝘙𝘛 𝘝𝘐𝘛𝘈𝘓 – 12 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘢 𝘜𝘭𝘢𝘺 / 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘈𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪ć je na ogled do 3. 5. 2026. Vstopnice so na voljo na naši spletni strani ali na recepciji Cukrarne. • • 📷 @blazgutman 🇬🇧English text in the comments