A friend forwarded this to me tonight, from the website Zen Garage:
Marina Abramovic and Ulay started an intense love story in the 70s, performing art out of the van they lived in. When they felt the relationship had run its course, they decided to walk the Great Wall of China, each from one end, meeting for one last big hug in the middle and never seeing each other again.
At her 2010 MoMa retrospective Marina performed ‘The Artist Is Present’ as part of the show, where she shared a minute of silence with each stranger who sat in front of her. Ulay arrived without her knowing and this is what happened. (Written by Justin Fox)
jesus. i didnt know about this. i saw marina and ulay perform this same piece, live, in the early 1980s. except it was just them...for days and days.
ReplyDeletethis blows me away. thank you so much.
Susan, how wonderful that you've added another layer to this! This blew me away too. Resulted in uncontrolled weeping!
Deleteno weeping here, just profound amazement. such incredible emotion, what power and grace.
ReplyDeleteIt's almost too much -- so intense. I can't stand it, actually -- the same feeling I got in that movie "Remains of the Day" --
ReplyDeleteI had the hardest time when Marina wiped her face and then looked up into the eyes of another stranger. I so wanted her to run after him in her long red dress --
I found this profoundly moving and thought provoking. Like Elizabeth, I wanted her to run after him, to give them more than the one stunning minute. I also thought of the self control, the strength she possesses, I would have been unable to maintain my composure as beautifully as she did. Thanks for sharing this and for encouraging me to learn more about these fascinating artists.
ReplyDeleteI watched the whole (long) movie recently. I must be very shallow. Their "art" ... I don't know. I just don't know. I like minimalism as much as the next person, but theirs makes Yoko Ono's work look as complex as Hieronymous Bosch.
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