Cukrarna Gallery in Ljubljana, Slovenia, announces ART VITAL - 12 Years of Marina Abramović / Ulay, an exhibition on view from November 30, 2025 to May 3, 2026, dedicated to the collaboration between Marina Abramović and Ulay, active between 1976 and 1988. Curated by Alenka Gregorič and Felicitas Thun-Hohenstein, in collaboration with the Ulay Foundation,Lena Pislak, Sydney Fishman and the Marina Abramović Archive, the exhibition aims to offer an articulated reading of the twelve years of work shared by one of the most influential couples in contemporary performance art.
The exhibition does not follow a chronological course, but adopts a conceptual structure that highlights the nomadic dimension of their practice and the construction of a kind of personal archaeology in constant transformation. The contents come from different cultural contexts and cross different eras, in line with the strong transcultural component that has characterized the entire path of the two artists. The aim is to return an overall picture of the various stages of the collaboration and the themes addressed, from experiments on the body to reflections on relationship, from the tension towards the limit to the search for new modes of presence. In addition to the performances that have now entered the repertoire of art history, the exhibition presents videos, photographic series and a selection of memorabilia documenting the daily routine of their shared work. A significant part of the itinerary is devoted to archival material: photographs, letters, personal notes, sound recordings, music lists and books become tools to restore the complexity of an artistic experience that intertwined production, travel and coexistence. Attention to the archive builds a critical context useful for understanding the density of the research developed over the twelve years they spent together.
Programming related to the exhibition includes re-enactments and public meetings designed to explore the significance of their actions and their impact on contemporary performance language. These events are intended to expand the exhibition discourse and encourage reflection on the role of performance as an artistic practice in continuous redefinition. ART VITAL - 12 Years of Marina Abramović / Ulay is accompanied by a photo book and an extended catalog. The opening is set for November 30, 2025, a date that coincides with the two artists’ shared birthday. The choice to open on the day of their birth underscores the personal and professional bond that has marked the entire span of their collaboration, while the exhibition venue in Ljubljana takes on additional value as it represents the city where Ulay spent the last years of his life.
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| Abramović and Ulay in Slovenia: a retrospective on the twelve years of their collaboration |
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