Frank Uwe Laysiepen, known as Ulay, has died at age 76 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The German-born artist was a pioneer of performance art, photography, and body art, best known for his collaborative works with former partner Marina Abramović, including the iconic "Relation Works" series and their 1988 walk along the Great Wall of China. Ulay had been recovering from lymphatic cancer; the cause of death has not been confirmed. He leaves behind the ULAY Foundation in Amsterdam and a project space in Slovenia.
Ulay's death marks the loss of a transformative figure in performance art whose boundary-pushing work with Abramović redefined the limits of the body and relationship in art. Their 2011 reunion at MoMA, captured in a viral video, and subsequent legal dispute over royalties highlighted the enduring complexity of their artistic legacy. His influence on generations of artists and his pioneering use of Polaroid photography ensure his work remains central to discussions of identity, endurance, and collaboration in contemporary art.