Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present
April 14, 2013 in Art Blog
“This performance retrospective traces the prolific career of Marina Abramović (Yugoslav, b. 1946) with approximately fifty works spanning over four decades of her early interventions and sound pieces, video works, installations, photographs, solo performances, and collaborative performances made with Ulay (Uwe Laysiepen). In an endeavor to transmit the presence of the artist and make her historical performances accessible to a larger audience, the exhibition includes the first live re-performances of Abramović’s works by other people ever to be undertaken in a museum setting. In addition, a new, original work performed by Abramović will mark the longest duration of time that she has performed a single solo piece.” excerpt from the MoMA press release published on Dec 12, 2012.
A powerful moment is captured when two lovers meet after decades of not seeing each other. No words, just emotion, palpable, captivating.
The backstory:
“Marina Abramovic and Ulay started an intense love story in the 70s, performing art out of the van they lived in. When they felt the relationship had run its course, they decided to walk the Great Wall of China, meeting for one last time in the middle and never seeing each other again. At her 2010 MoMa retrospective Marina performed ‘The Artist Is Present’, a minute of silence with each stranger who sat in front of her. Ulay arrived without her knowing and this is what happened…”
What he said:
Ulay says, “Don’t cry, we’ve accomplished so much”
The last day of the performance.
