ULAY

Joy (2015), unique Polaroid, 8.6 x 10.8 cm

The sale of these 20 Polaroids is a collaboration and a gesture of support from Rabobank to the ULAY Foundation, in honor of the pioneering artist, his memory and extensive legacy.

We Like Art takes care of the practical organization, we are proud that we can contribute to this. Good to know: more than 100 enthusiasts have registered in advance.

Scroll down the bottom of this page to see (and order) the 20 Polaroids.

Ulay photographed while inspecting the Joy Polaroids at the framer (photo Profilex)

About Joy (2015)

Ulay does not start with a prepared concept, he is inspired by what he encounters. In this case he found a swimming pool in the Palmeraie, an oasis outside Marrakesh. Surrounded by rose petals, he’s bathed in water. The light dances on the surface, which ensures a continuously changing light. In the water, the body is lighter, freer to move.

Some kind of weightlessness sets in. At the same time, the body is vulnerable, with only the water surrounding it as an armor. Ulay has been concerned with his own identity throughout his life as an artist, for which he uses his own body as a means of expression.

“In this I wanted to combine and culminate what has kept me busy during my artistic career. Body, water, light, the color pink and the seductive beauty of nature. Each of the 100 photos reflects a moment of joy and completeness. ”

Ulay, Joy (2015) unique Polaroid, 8.6 x 10.8 cm

Ulay was joyful when he created the series Joy. And especially now, in these strange and uncertain times, it is a gift to give and receive ‘Joy’. To support each other as much as possible and to try to be joyful together, even when it is at a physical distance.

JOY consists of 100 unique photos that together form one work of art. Ulay made this Polaroid edition especially for Rabobank, as part of the Ulay – Polaroids exhibition, which opened in the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam in January 2016.

Joy (2015), unique Polaroid, 8.6 x 10.8 cm

Ulay (Frank Uwe Laysiepen, 1943) is known for his experiments with Polaroid technology. He developed the so-called “Polagrams”, life-size Polaroid photos for which he literally stepped into a large-format camera. Initially Ulay made self-portraits, later he turned his camera towards people from special groups, such as Aboriginals in Australia, homeless people in New York and young people in Dordrecht. Identity and the search for it have always been very important in Ulay’s work.

Verily Klaasen (head of Rabobank Kunstzaken) said the following about it: ‘Nowadays it is normal practice to take a photo of daily life with a smartphone, which we can also immediately see. In the 1960s, when Ulay discovered the Polaroid, a direct image was reserved for the Polaroid. For Ulay, Polaroid’s instant photography fits in seamlessly with his need for a medium that was in direct connection with life itself . ‘

ULAY WAS HERE, Stedelijk Museum (2020), photo: Peter Tijhuis

Rabobank and Ulay

Rabobank and Ulay have had a special bond for years. Rabobank acquired Ulay’s first artwork in 1999 and has supported the artist ever since; today it contains one of the most important collections of Ulay’s work. In 2015 Ulay made a series of 100 unique Polaroid’s entitled Joy for Rabobank. Created in Marrakesh in 2015, the series is the artist’s last small Polaroid series ever.

To honor the artist’s memory and make his work more accessible to the public, Rabobank and ULAY Foundation decided to offer 20 Polaroid’s from the Joy series for sale at a special price – a price that suits this special occasion. Rabobank will donate all proceeds from online sales to the ULAY Foundation.

Joy (2015), unique Polaroid, 8.6 x 10.8 cm

**Information JOY (2015)**

Dimensions: Image size: 6.2 x 9.9 cm, photo: 8.6 x 10.8 cm, passe-partout cardboard: 21.5 x 26.9 cm
Signed under the photo on the passe-partout cardboard and accompanied by a certificate
Technique: Fuji Instax Wide (instant photo)
Edition: one-offs, 100 photos from the series entitled JOY, consisting of 100 unique works
Price: € 1.000,- (incl 9% Dutch VAT, excl shipping costs)
International customers are responsible for applicable duties and taxes
When you buy the artwork you acknowledge and agree to the special terms (see info in our webshop).
You can choose a maximum of 3 polaroids

ULAY WAS HERE, Stedelijk Museum (2020), photo: Peter Tijhuis

ULAY WAS HERE, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam

November 21, 2020 to April 18, 2021

With ULAY WAS HERE, the Stedelijk Museum presents the largest retrospective ever of Frank Uwe Laysiepen’s oeuvre, known as Ulay (1943–2020). It is also the first international posthumous exhibition.Ulay personally contributed to this major survey before his death last March. With approximately 200 works, ULAY WAS HERE provides a cross-section of his entire oeuvre.

The exhibition includes photos, Polaroids (black and white and color, from small to life-size), Polagrams, sculptures, projections (video and photo recordings and films) and documentation material.For this special occasion, you can support the ULAY Foundation by purchasing an original, unique Polaroid from Ulay.

ULAY WAS HERE, Stedelijk Museum (2020), photo: Peter Tijhuis

ULAY Foundation

In 2012 Ulay founded ULAY Foundation in Amsterdam together with his wife Lena. Since its inception, the foundation has been committed to preserving and promoting the unique oeuvre of the legendary artist, who passed away in March this year.

While the foundation systematically archives Ulay’s work and initiates exhibitions and catalogs, lately it has focused on activities that support young people (public, artists and curators) and encourage them to engage with Ulay’s legacy. The project space and planned residency program for emerging artists and curators meant “pretty much everything” to him.

Joy (2015), unique Polaroid, 8.6 x 10.8 cm

At the end of 2019, the ULAY Foundation launched a project space cum archive between the two cities that Ulay called home: Ljubljana (Slovenia), where he spent the last 10 years of his life, and Amsterdam, where he came and stayed in 1968, while traveling the world for 40 years.

Ulay wanted the project space and planned residency program for emerging artists and curators to become a “connection point” and a “safe place for the young artists”; in his last television interview before he died, he said this meant “pretty much everything” to him.

More information: www.ulayfoundation.org

All individual Polaroids are photographed by Peter Cox.