What’s the weirdest break up you’ve ever had?
In 1988 Marina Abramović and Ulay, her long-term partner and collaborator, walked from opposite ends of the Great Wall of China to say goodbye in the middle.
It was very dramatic and a very painful ending.
The Lovers: The Great Wall Walk (still), 1988/2008
For five decades, Marina has used performance art to process trauma – from heartbreak to war.
In 1974 she gave her audience 72 objects to use on her. Even a pistol. She wanted to see what these perfect strangers were capable of.
Her performances are daring feats of endurance and vulnerability based on a simple premise:
The audience and the performer make the piece together.
In 2010, she performed her most demanding work to date at MoMA.
Marina sat completely still for eight hours at a time, and the public queued up to sit with her.
She only moved once, when Ulay sat opposite her.
The Artist is Present, 2009
Relation in Time, 1977/2010
Rest Energy, 1980
