In the world of art, few relationships have been as passionate and tragically intense as that of Marina Abramović and Ulay. Their twelve-year romance was like a living performance — intense, painful, and spectacularly destructive. Their final joint performance, called “The Lovers,” involved walking towards each other from opposite ends of the Great Wall of China — she from the east, he from the west, each covering about 2,500 kilometers to meet in the middle. But instead of the wedding they originally planned, their relationship ended forever in separation.
Marina admitted that their communication was already dead, and emotions poisoned by the death of Ulay’s mother and other personal tragedies. At one point, Marina falsely confessed to an affair with a French writer, while Ulay, feigning indifference, admitted a relationship with a wealthy American whose husband was imprisoned in Thailand. Their relationship became so toxic that they even tried a threesome, but it only deepened the pain and alienation.
Their walk on the Great Wall, meant to symbolize their love and unity, became a metaphor for their breakup. Instead of a romantic meeting, they were met with a cold reception devoid of warmth and love. Marina learned that Ulay was with his then-translator, who was pregnant, and in December they married in Beijing. For Marina, it was the end not only of love but also of the monumental artistic work they had created together.
For years, she remained silent about her pain and shame over the failed relationship, hiding behind art. Their collaboration was always a sacrifice for the sake of art, but in the end, it fell apart over the banalities of everyday life. Twenty-two years after their breakup, Marina and Ulay met again at the MoMA museum in New York, in silence and without words — a moment of farewell, not love.
Their story proves that even the greatest artistic souls can be destroyed by life and love. If you think your relationship is complicated, remember Marina and Ulay — an artistic couple whose love was a performance, but also a tragedy. So, what do you think — was their love too big for this world, or was life just cruel? Drop a comment, maybe together we’ll find the answer!
