Photo: Hans Peters for Anefo / CC0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Ulay was credited as a university teacher, screenwriter and director. Ulay was born on November 30, 1943 in Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Death is recorded on March 2, 2020, at the age of 76.
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
- Occupation
- photographer / university teacher / screenwriter / director / professional photographer
2. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.ulay.si
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulay
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q69562
3. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-20
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Ulay born?
Born November 30, 1943.
When did Ulay die?
Died March 2, 2020, aged 76.
Where was Ulay from?
Ulay was from Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
What did Ulay do?
Ulay worked as photographer, university teacher, screenwriter, director, professional photographer.
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