Ulay
Encyclopedia
Ulay real name Frank Uwe Laysiepen (born November 30, 1943, Solingen
, Germany
) is an important performance art
ist of the late 60s and the 70s.
In all his works the central content is the relationship of body, space and society. During his life he travelled to different countries to collaborate with local artists, among others the Netherlands, Central Australia, China, Germany, United States.
From 1976 to 1989 he worked together with Marina Abramović
. The performances of this period are the best known of Ulay's work.
In 1988, Ulay and Abramović decided to make a spiritual journey which would end their relationship. Each of them walked the Great Wall of China
, starting from the two opposite ends and meeting in the middle. Ulay started from the Gobi Desert
and Abramović from the Yellow Sea
. After each of them walked 2500 km, they met in the middle and said "good-bye".
Due to his education as a photographer, he documented his performances constantly. One of his favorite media was and still is the Polaroid.
After 5 years as a professor for performance and media-art at the Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe
(1999–2004) in Germany he moved back to Amsterdam
but he still travels through the world. He still works with photography but performed for the last time at Mediamatic's "It's Happening Now" in Amsterdam on May 6, 2007. His actual project WATERTOALL focuses on the Arab world and its water shortage in comparison with the sinking Netherlands.
Solingen
Solingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and with a 2009 population of 161,366 is the second largest city in the Bergisches Land...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) is an important performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
ist of the late 60s and the 70s.
In all his works the central content is the relationship of body, space and society. During his life he travelled to different countries to collaborate with local artists, among others the Netherlands, Central Australia, China, Germany, United States.
From 1976 to 1989 he worked together with Marina Abramović
Marina Abramovic
Marina Abramović is a Belgrade-born New York-based Serbian performance artist who began her career in the early 1970s. Active for over three decades, she has recently begun to describe herself as the “grandmother of performance art.” Abramović's work explores the relationship between performer and...
. The performances of this period are the best known of Ulay's work.
In 1988, Ulay and Abramović decided to make a spiritual journey which would end their relationship. Each of them walked the Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...
, starting from the two opposite ends and meeting in the middle. Ulay started from the Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert
The Gobi is a large desert region in Asia. It covers parts of northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau to the...
and Abramović from the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
. After each of them walked 2500 km, they met in the middle and said "good-bye".
Due to his education as a photographer, he documented his performances constantly. One of his favorite media was and still is the Polaroid.
After 5 years as a professor for performance and media-art at the Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
(1999–2004) in Germany he moved back to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
but he still travels through the world. He still works with photography but performed for the last time at Mediamatic's "It's Happening Now" in Amsterdam on May 6, 2007. His actual project WATERTOALL focuses on the Arab world and its water shortage in comparison with the sinking Netherlands.
Prizes and awards
- 1984: The San Sebastian Video Award
- 1985: The Lucano Video Award
- 1986: The Polaroid Video Award
- 1986: Video Award – Kulturkreis im Verband der Deutschen Industrie