Aranya Art Center North is pleased to present ART VITAL – 12 Years of Ulay / Marina Abramović from July 31, 2026 to February 28, 2027. The exhibition celebrates the iconic partnership between Marina Abramović (b.1946, Belgrade) and Ulay – Frank Uwe Laysiepen (1943, Solingen – 2020, Ljubljana). Between 1976 and 1988, the two artists lived and worked together, seamlessly integrating artistic practice into daily life while challenging conventional notions of authorship and identity. Their ground- breaking practice probed vulnerability, resilience, and interdependence, mirroring the intensity of their shared life and creative process.
The curatorial concept of the ART VITAL – 12 Years of Ulay / Marina Abramović exhibition was originally conceived by Alenka Gregorič, Artistic Director of Cukrarna Gallery, and Felicitas Thun-Hohenstein, the professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. The exhibition was first presented at Cukrarna Gallery from November 30, 2025 to May 10, 2026. The China presentation is co-curated by Sherry Lai, Managing Partner of SPURS Gallery. The project was realized in close collaboration with Marina Abramović, Cathy Koutsavlis from the Marina Abramović Archives, and Lena Pislak, Director of the ULAY Foundation, with strong institutional support from Cukrarna / Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, and numerous other sponsors, partners, and contributors.