Marina Abramović and Ulay: The Artist Is Present

When I need a good cry, I put on some Beach House and revisit this clip. During Marina Abramović’s 2010 MoMA retrospective, her former lover and artistic collaborator Ulay surprised her by taking the seat across from her. When she looked up, there he was — decades after their relationship ended. No dialogue. Just eye contact, tears, and eventually, two hands reaching across a table. An almost unbearable amount of feeling, without a single word. I visited MoMA during the exhibition, though I wasn't there to witness this particular encounter. It lasts just a couple minutes, but somehow contains a lifetime of love, loss, and everything left unsaid.