Slovenian Ambassador Attends the Opening of ART VITAL in China
The exhibition ART VITAL – 12 Years of Ulay / Marina Abramović, produced by Cukrarna / Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana, is now on view in China following its presentation in Ljubljana. The exhibition opened with a special event at Aranya Art Center North in Qinhuangdao last Friday, 14 August 2026, attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to China, Boštjan Malovrh.
Cukrarna’s Artistic Director and co-curator of the exhibition, Alenka Gregorič, and ULAY Foundation Director Lena Pislak also attended the opening and took part in the exhibition’s accompanying programme over the following days. In a conversation exploring the significance of Ulay and Marina Abramović’s artistic and personal partnership, they introduced the Chinese audience to ART VITAL, its development and the ideas behind its original presentation in Ljubljana.
During the exhibition in Ljubljana, Primož Bezjak and Katarina Stegnar re-performed Work Relation five times, a performance first presented by Ulay and Marina Abramović at the Arnhem Festival in 1978. A new re-performance of this key work from their collaborative practice was also included in the opening programme at Aranya Art Center North in China by new performers.
The concept for ART VITAL was developed by Alenka Gregorič and Felicitas Thun-Hohenstein, who worked with SPURS Gallery curator Sherry Lai on the presentation at Aranya Art Center North. ART VITAL was produced by Cukrarna (Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana) in close collaboration with Marina Abramović, the Marina Abramović Archive, coordinated by Sydney Fishman, and the ULAY Foundation, directed by Lena Pislak. China is the exhibition’s first stop following its Ljubljana presentation, where it was on view from November 2025 to May 2026. After Aranya Art Center North, ART VITAL will continue its international tour to Berlin, opening at the Neue Nationalgalerie on 27 November 2026.
Photo © All photos by Aranya Art Center North
