Photo: Hans Peters for Anefo / CC0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ulay is one of those artists I keep returning to, because his work blurs the line between living and making art. Born in Solingen and rooted between Amsterdam and Ljubljana, he turned the Polaroid and his own body into instruments of presence. What moves me most is how his decades-long partnership with Marina Abramovic became inseparable from the art itself, ending in that famous walk along the Great Wall. He died in 2020, but his real legacy is the idea that vulnerability can be a discipline. I find his quiet radicalism far more durable than louder reputations.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ulay
- Name (Japanese)
- ウレイ
- Reading
- うれい
- Born
- November 30, 1943 – March 2, 2020
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Goat
- Origin
- Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- photographer / university teacher / screenwriter / director / professional photographer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.ulay.si
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulay
Frequently asked questions
When was Ulay born?
November 30, 1943 – March 2, 2020.
Where is Ulay from?
Ulay is from Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
What does Ulay do?
Ulay works as photographer, university teacher, screenwriter, director, professional photographer.
Photographer — see all → · University teacher — see all → · More people from Germany →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-20
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.