During their relationship they created a series of influential collaborations exploring the ego and artistic identity.
Below are some of the works together:
1. "The Other" - parts of a “two-headed body
They dressed and behaved like twins and created a relationship of complete trust. As they defined this phantom identity, their individual identities became less accessible.
2. The "Relation in Space" (1976)
they ran around the room – two bodies like two planets, mixing male and female energy into a third component called “that self.”
3. The "Relation in Time" (1977)
4. The "Relation in Movement" (1977)
the pair drive their car, bought from a French police, inside of a museum for 365 laps; a black liquid oozed from the car, forming a kind of sculpture, each lap representing a year. (After 365 laps they entered the New Millennium.)
5. "Breathing In/Breathing Out"
they connected their mouths and took in each other’s exhaled breaths until they had used up all of the available oxygen. Seventeen minutes after the beginning of the performance they both fell to the floor unconscious, their lungs having filled with carbon dioxide. This personal piece explored the idea of an individual's ability to absorb the life of another person, exchanging and destroying it
6. "Rest Energy" (1980)
7. AAA-AAA (1977)
Below are some of the works together:
1. "The Other" - parts of a “two-headed body
They dressed and behaved like twins and created a relationship of complete trust. As they defined this phantom identity, their individual identities became less accessible.
2. The "Relation in Space" (1976)
they ran around the room – two bodies like two planets, mixing male and female energy into a third component called “that self.”
3. The "Relation in Time" (1977)
4. The "Relation in Movement" (1977)
the pair drive their car, bought from a French police, inside of a museum for 365 laps; a black liquid oozed from the car, forming a kind of sculpture, each lap representing a year. (After 365 laps they entered the New Millennium.)
5. "Breathing In/Breathing Out"
they connected their mouths and took in each other’s exhaled breaths until they had used up all of the available oxygen. Seventeen minutes after the beginning of the performance they both fell to the floor unconscious, their lungs having filled with carbon dioxide. This personal piece explored the idea of an individual's ability to absorb the life of another person, exchanging and destroying it
6. "Rest Energy" (1980)
7. AAA-AAA (1977)
8. "The Great Wall Walk"
In 1988 after several years of tense relations, they decided that their relationship has to come to an end. What better way to than to walk the great wall of China - Ulay starting from the head/fire [Gobi Desert] and Marina starting from the tail/water [Yellow Sea] and meeting in the heart of the Great Wall of China. Each walked 2500km just to say goodbye. "Because in the end you are really alone, whatever you do" - Marina
In 1988 after several years of tense relations, they decided that their relationship has to come to an end. What better way to than to walk the great wall of China - Ulay starting from the head/fire [Gobi Desert] and Marina starting from the tail/water [Yellow Sea] and meeting in the heart of the Great Wall of China. Each walked 2500km just to say goodbye. "Because in the end you are really alone, whatever you do" - Marina
9. "The Artist is Present" (2010)
In 2010, Ulay and Marina reunited tearfully across a table at the superstar's MOMA retrospective as she performed her three-month-long endurance piece.
Here is a short clip to better understand their love story.
