Exhibition of performances by Marina Abramović and Ulay opens at macLYON

28 September 2021

Marina Abramović & Ulay: Collection: Performances 1976–1988, a selection of work from the legendary artists' important oeuvre, is on view at the Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon from 15 September 2021 to 2 January 2022.

macLYON first hosted an exhibition by the performance-art pioneers in 1986. It was an opportunity for the two artists to present and bring to a conclusion the cycle of performances that brought them to international recognition, Nightsea Crossing. The work consisted of twenty-two performances which took place all over the world, including Sydney, Ushimado, Chicago and Kassel, several of which lasted multiple days. During this time, they sat face to face in the presence of an audience, immobile and silent, in a meditative state of extreme attention. The work took its final form in Lyon, and was acquired by the museum. Photographs and objects now preserve the memory of the moments recorded.

In 1995, after the artists's partnership had ended, they worked to create an archive of essential moments, which was acquired jointly by macLYON and the Van Abbemuseum in Eindohven. Now, thirty-five years after their initial performance at the museum, this exhibition presents a selection of recordings from that oeuvre.

For more information and to schedule your visit, visit the macLYON website.

Image: Marina Abramović & Ulay, Nightsea Crossing, Sitting in macLYON, 9 & 10 October 1986, Collection macLYON © Courtesy of the Marina Abramovic Archives / Adagp, Paris, 2021