Ulay, born Frank Uwe Laysiepen in Solingen in 1943, is one of these artists: Along the paths he has taken as a solo artist, performative photography has been a constant companion for almost five decades. Today, Ulay is often associated with the 14 iconic “Relations Works” performances carried out as part of the artistic and private relationship between Ulay and Marina Abramovic between 1976 and 1988 – this phase of his career is bracketed by photography. And Ulay’s work with and for Polaroid not only significantly shaped his oeuvre as a whole, but also made an important contribution to introducing Polaroid photography to the art context.

Where do I fit in?

Ulay’s work with Polaroid began in 1970; before that time, he had been pursuing industry and architectural photography. Contacts at Polaroid not only quickly turned him into a consultant photographer, but also gave Ulay almost unlimited access to film and cameras, leading to his independent photographic recordings being primarily carried out as Polaroids over the next five years. His photographs from the early 1970s are intimate – they feature transvestites, transsexuals and the artist himself. And the latter in particular was to form the cornerstone to what is Ulay’s life-long conception of art: The self-portrait – the “auto-portrait” – is a medium for dialog, yet not with others but with one’s own double. Ulay carried out performances in front of the camera most often in the form of series; he recorded these and asked himself the same questions over and over again: “What do I want? Who am I? Where do I fit in, and what should I do next?”