I have been thinking a lot lately about stuff. Of life, love and happiness. I have been thinking of what the past has taught me and what the future still will show me. Of having left and having arrived. I have been thinking about the past and dreaming of the future. Getting rid of the past and making plans for the future. Wondering if I should say things to people I never thought I would see again. Finding my voice and reconnecting with the brokenhearted child who was never allowed to be. Finding the direction that was misplaced so long ago. And yet for once I am at peace with myself as I realize it may all just be about forgiveness.
Recently someone shared a video with me.
As the story goes, in 1976, Marina Abramovic met Ulay (Frank Uwe Laysiepen), a West German artist who would become her collaborator and lover for the next twelve years. By 1988, their romance had run its course and in their typically atypical fashion the pair chose to part ways by walking from opposing ends of the Great Wall of China until they met in the middle to hug and say goodbye. They had rarely seen each other since.
22 years later, at her 2010 MoMA retrospective, Marina performed ‘The Artist Is Present’ as part of the show, where she shared a minute of silence with each stranger who sat in front of her. The video shows Abramovic, sitting, eyes temporarily closed, preparing herself for her next silent interlocutor. Ulay approaches and Abramovic looks up to what may have been the single most unexpected sight of her night, jolting her otherwise rather dignified composure. Their reunion is a deeply touching scene.
Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present which can be purchased here
I would love to hear your opinion.