The pioneering performance artist Frank Uwe Laysiepen, better known as Ulay, passed away on Monday morning in Ljubljana, Slovenia. He was 76.
The former partner of fellow performance artist Marina Abramovic had been battling cancer since 2011, and his death was caused by complications from his treatment, according to The Art Newspaper.
Ulay and Abramovic forged a longstanding artistic collaboration after meeting in 1976. Their performances were linked to exploring the limits of the body, and the two developed works that pushed the boundaries of both their practices. These include Rest Energy (1970), where the couple stretched a bow and arrow with their body weight, the tip of the arrow pointing at Abramovic's heart.
In their final and most memorable performance The Lovers (1988), they trekked the Great Wall of China from opposite ends – walking 5,995 kilometres in total for 90 days – only to break-up once they met. The couple reunited briefly during Abramovic's performance The Artist is Present at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2010.
On Instagram, Abramovic expressed her reaction on learning of his Ulay’s death. Sharing a photo of the two of them together, she wrote: “It is with great sadness I learned about my friend and former partner Ulay’s death today. He was an exceptional artist and human being, who will be deeply missed. On this day, it is comforting to know that his art and legacy will live on forever.”
Born in Germany in 1943, Ulay was trained as a photographer and worked as a consultant for Polaroid. His shift to performance art began with experimenting with notions of the body and identity through performative image-making. He returned to photography after the end of his relationship with Abramovic.
A documentary by director Damjan Kozole titled Project Cancer: Ulay's journal from November to November was made about his life, work and cancer treatment in 2013.
