Marina Abramović, The Lovers: The Great Wall Walk (1988)9 Images
Alongside works like Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” (1907–1908) and Henry Holiday’s “Dante and Beatrice” (1883), Marina Abramović’s “The Lovers: The Great Wall Walk” (1988) could be deemed as one of contemporary art’s most romantic gestures. But unlike the static romanticism of paintings, Abramović’s performance was a gruelling, three-month-long journey across the Great Wall of China. She and her partner, Ulay (Frank Uwe Laysiepen), each walked 2,500 kilometres from opposite ends of the wall, initially planning to meet in the middle to marry. But instead of tying the knot, they parted ways and ended their 12-year relationship. They didn’t speak for another 22 years.
This performance took place four decades ago yet it still remains as one of her most iconic and emotionally charged works today. Throughout her career, Abramović has returned to similar themes of love, endurance and human connection, most notably in The Artist is Present (2010), a retrospective at the New York Museum of Modern Art that saw Abramović sitting in silence at a table for 750 hours. The public were invited to approach, sit and hold her gaze – some people would sit for a few minutes while others stayed for the entire day. But there was also a surprise visit from Ulay, who took a seat in front of his former lover after their long break apart.
The Lovers: The Great Wall Walk continued to influence many aspects of her practice and approach to art. So much so that she’s now returned to China in a new exhibition Transforming Energy, held at the Modern Art Museum in Shanghai. Over 1,000 images of the walk are on display, alongside immersive installations, sculptures and new works incorporating crystals. Visitors are encouraged to engage with the energy she’s cultivated since that pivotal trek – reflecting back on the physical toll, the spiritual connection to the land and the cultural weight of walking the wall, which are often overshadowed by the performance’s dramatic ending. To understand just how life-changing this performance was, here are some things you may not know about Abramović’s groundbreaking walk.
At age 40, the performance wasn’t a walk in the park for Abramović. “It was not easy,” she admits. The Great Wall, the largest man-made structure, stretches from the seaside to the desert, snaking through steep mountains and treacherous drops. She crossed barren landscapes, scrambled over rocks and trudged through ravines, often pushing her body to the limit. On the fourth day, she slipped, clinging to the edge of an abyss. Nights were also spent in remote villages far from the wall. “The Great Wall is only renovated near cities – the rest is just towers, rocks and mountains. I had to climb using ropes and my arms.”
Despite China’s economic reforms of the late 1970s, rural areas in the 1980s remained underdeveloped, with limited infrastructure. Life was conservative and dominated by small-scale farming. “The people were simple. There were no cars – just bicycles. They were rural, working in rice fields, living in the countryside. It reminded me a lot of my own country, Yugoslavia, which was also communist. I felt familiar with the environment,” she reflects.
At the time of the performance, modern communication tools like iPhones were nonexistent; she had no way of contacting anyone, not even Ulay, once the walk began. “There were no phones, no internet, no WhatsApp – there was no way to stay in touch. The only memories I have are the photographs I took and the stories I wrote in the [exhibition] catalogue,” she says.
In 1988, China was vastly different to what it is today. “It was an area I’d never been to before, but the landscape was beautiful. I took 3,500 photographs along the way, capturing parts of China that no longer exist,” she says. “Now, when you come to Shanghai, it’s like stepping into the 22nd century. The city has changed so much in such a short time. It’s mind-blowing.” This contrast between the rural simplicity of the 1980s and hyper-urbanised modern cities like Shanghai left a lasting impression on her, influencing her reflections on time and change – and ultimately the roots of her new exhibition, Transforming Energy.
Despite the physical and emotional exhaustion, Abramović was moved to write throughout her journey. “The landscape was pure poetry,” she recalls. “It was the most beautiful place I’d ever seen, especially in the mountains,” she says. “Even now, young Chinese people haven’t been to some of the places I went.” Each village she passed through brought new dialects, food and experiences. “Sometimes communication didn’t need words – just gestures and eye contact.”
With no contact with the outside world, the isolation during the performance was intense, and Abramović spent most of the journey in solace, save for encounters with rural villagers. Thankfully, she believes that silence, especially in nature, is a crucial source of inspiration. “Younger generations don’t have the connection anymore, they’re tied to their phones,” she reflects. “That’s a problem in developed societies – you lose your sense of who you are.” Abramoviċ finds that silence allows her to recharge both creatively and spiritually. “In the exhibition, there’s a statement about how artists need long periods of silence in nature to find inspiration, and that’s true for everyone, not just artists.”
Abramović’s spiritual connection to nature has always been a key part of her work, and The Great Wall Walk was no exception. “It was a dream,” she says of being in nature for so long. “It changed me. Nature is the source of everything for me.” She adds, “My grandmother taught me that dreams are important, that nature speaks to you if you listen. The rocks, the trees, everything has a spirit.” When Ambramović visited the local villages, she learned about Chinese medicine and its spiritual, healing properties – particularly through the use of crystals, which are now present in her new exhibition.
Now, 36 years later, Abramović returns to China with her exhibition, Transforming Energy. “I’m just very happy to be in China now, in this present time. All these years, my dream was to come back and have a show because I got so much inspiration from that walk, and I made new works that have never been shown before. So, my focus is not on the past,” she says. “I don’t look back. I’m only looking to the future.”
Marina Abramović: Transforming Energy is running at the Modern Art Museum Shanghai until February 28, 2025.
