A couple walked from opposite ends of China’s Great Wall and met in the middle. Then they broke up

CNN —

The Great Wall of China has inspired countless works of art in its more than 2,000-year history. Among the most famous is “The Great Wall Walk,” a dramatic 90-day performance that saw lovers Marina Abramović and Frank Uwe Laysiepen (the late German artist known as Ulay) trek towards each other from opposite ends of the landmark.

Abramović began in the east at the so-called “dragon’s head” — where the Great Wall dips into the Bohai Bay like a dragon drinking from the sea — while Ulay started at the “tail,” more than 3,000 miles to her west, in the Gobi Desert.

When the idea was initially conceived, under a full moon in Australia’s outback, the pair had planned to meet and get married in the middle. But obtaining permission from Chinese authorities would take over eight years, by which time their romantic relationship, despite having achieved global fame and success as a performance art duo, had fallen apart amid infidelity, jealousy and a failed threesome. Still, neither wanted to give up on the project and, in March 1988, they embarked on their respective journeys.

“We both decided that we have to address new circumstances, which means our separation… (We would) say goodbye,” Abramović told CNN on a video call from the Modern Art Museum (MAM) Shanghai, where she opens her first ever museum exhibition in China this week. “Great love,” she added, encompasses everything: “Love, hate, disappointment, and forgiveness. We explore all of it.”

Images found in storage, like this one, will be shown to the public at Abramović's new show in Shanghai.

The 77-year-old Serbian artist’s new show, “Marina Abramović: Transforming Energy,” features interactive artworks inspired by the Great Wall journey, as well as over 1,200