The exhibition ART VITAL – 12 Years of Ulay / Marina Abramović

Cukrarna Gallery in Ljubljana hosts the exhibition of artists Ulay and Marina Abramović, curated by Alenka Gregorič, Artistic Director of Cukrarna Gallery, and Felicitas Thun-Hohenstein, Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, in collaboration with the Ulay Foundation (Lena Pislak) and the Marina Abramović Archive (Sidney Fishman).

The exhibition ART VITAL – 12 Years of Ulay / Marina Abramović, on view from 30 November 2025 to 3 May 2026, presents the most extensive account to date of their twelve-year collaboration, from their first performance, Relation in Space (1976) at the Venice Biennale, to their symbolic farewell performance The Great Wall Walk (1988). Ulay and Marina Abramović played a pivotal role in shaping the evolution of performance art and left an invaluable mark on 20th-century art-historical discourse. Their nomadic spirit and their interconnectedness with the world around them were the driving forces behind their commitment to art. They were unstoppable. They were one.

The exhibition offers, for the first time, a multifaceted insight into the unique and unyielding joint artistic path and private life of the artist duo Ulay and Marina Abramović, spanning from 1976 to 1988.  Instead of following a strictly chronological approach, the exhibition is structured thematically, highlighting their nomadic way of life and uncovering their personal archaeology.

On view will be some of their most known works – Imponderabilia (1977), Relation in Movement (1977), Rest Energy (1980) – as well as lesser-known pieces such as Charged Space (1978), Three (1978), The Brink (1979), Communist Body/Fascist Body (1979), Nature of Mind (1980), Bone Curtain (1985), Terminal Garden (1986), and The Sun and the Moon (1987), along with photographs and works from the Nightsea Crossing series (1981–1986). In addition to video documentation, photographs, and objects from their iconic performances, the exhibition will foreground rich archival materials: the Citroën van that served as their home for five years, photographs, letters, postcards, personal notes, sound recordings, correspondence with institutions, and diaries—many of which will be presented to the public for the first time. A series of accompanying events will include reconstructions of the performances Work Relation (1978) and A Similar Illusion (1981), as well as special stagings of Light/Dark (1977), Breathing In/Breathing Out (1977), and AAA-AAA (1978).

On the opening day, two publications will be released. The photobook Love. Hate. Forgiveness. features photographs from their twelve years of shared life, offering an intimate look into the turbulent period following their separation, and includes a conversation between Marina Abramović and Lena Pislak.

The catalogue ART VITAL – 12 Years of Ulay / Marina Abramović (published by the Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana, Cukrarna Gallery, and Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König) contains extensive visual and archival material and in-depth scholarly essays on their collaborative work—exploring the intersections of art and life, the boundaries of the body, relationship, and authorship, and revealing how Ulay and Abramović shaped the history of contemporary art.
Texts by Alenka Gregorič, Felicitas Thun-Hohenstein, Elisabeth von Samsonow, Amelia Jones, Bojana Kunst, Suzana Milevska, Diedrich Diederichsen, Sabine Priglinger, Michael Klein, Hana Ostan-Ožbolt-Haas, Matthieu Lelièvre, and Kurt Kladler. Both the catalogue and the photobook are available for pre-order at shop@mgml.si.

OPENING DAY

There will be no public opening event. On Sunday, 30 November 2025, admission will be free, but advance ticket reservation is required. Free tickets for the opening day will be available starting from 24 November 2025 via www.mojekarte.si or at the Cukrarna Gallery reception.