De Duits-Nederlandse kunstenaar Ulay (Frank Uwe Laysiepen, Solingen, 30 november 1943- Ljubljana 2 maart 2020) is zopas overleden. Hij was al geruime tijd ernstig ziek.
De ULAY Foundation verklaart in een persmededeling:
"It is with our immense sadness that we write to inform you of the passing of one of the greatest artists of our time, the pioneer of polaroid photography, the father of performance art, the most radical, the one and only, ULAY, who has left for another journey, today, peacefully in his sleep (November 30, 1943–March 2, 2020).
ULAY was incomparable. As a human being and as an artist. The gentlest soul, a giver. A pioneer, a provocateur, an activist, a mentor, a colleague, a friend, a father, a husband, family. A seeker of light. A lover of life. A traveler. A fighter. A brilliant thinker, who has been pushing limits and enduring pain. Selfless and fearless, ethical, elegant, witty. He, who has influenced so many.
'One can learn many things in life, but not art. The madness you need – the must which is shaking you all the time. You are an artist even when you are asleep. Because of the must.'
He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, the art community and the thousands of us, who he has so deeply touched and inspired. He influenced generations of artists and many more to come – his memory and legacy will live on forever through his work and the work of the ULAY Foundation, that has just opened its ULAY Foundation Project Space in Ljubljana on ULAY's 76th birthday, November 30, 2019.
ULAY's upcoming retrospective exhibition at Stedelijk, that he has been so much looking forward to and has already been working on, will be on view at the museum from November 2020 on. It will be the first exhibition to be mounted by Rein Wolfs, who joined the museum as Director in December."
