Emotional footage of artist who allowed people to do anything to her shows what happened when ex joined extreme act

Footage of a performance artist coming face to face with her ex boyfriend has been described as 'powerful' and 'emotional'.

Performance artist Marina Abramović is known for many of her provocative pieces, including an extreme art piece where she allowed people to do anything to her.

The piece saw her pushing both physical and mental boundaries, offering deeply thought-provoking reflections on the psyche of humans and how we connect with each other and the world around us.

Now, emotional footage has resurfaced of her art piece The Artist Is Present, in 2010 in New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where she came face to face with strangers over a period of two and a half months.

Yet on one occasion, the person sitting opposite her wasn't a stranger.

In fact, she came face to face with Ulay, whose real name is Frank Uwe Laysiepen and who previously dated Abramović.

Footage on YouTube of them reuniting after a difficult and rocky relationship history has been noted by art fans as 'intense' as well as 'making them cry'.

Abramović and Ulay were the artists behind one of the biggest performance art pieces in history called 'The Lovers', which saw them walk towards each other from opposite ends of The Great Wall of China.

The idea being that when they met in the middle, they would get married at the Buddhist temple at Erlang Shen.

Abramović and Ulay had not seen each other for over 20 years. (YouTube)

However, the idea took so long to get signed off, that by the time they met in June 1988, their relationship had broken down. To add insult to injury, Ulay had a new partner and a baby on the way.

Now, over 20 years later, the pair were face to face again.

In the footage, Abramović looks shocked before smiling at her former partner. Ulay is then moved to tears as the pair stare at each other.

At the end of their encounter, Ulay reaches out for Abramović who clasps his hands before the pair appear to whisper to each other.

The moment inspired those watching to burst into applause at the former romantic partners, before Abramović was forced to compose herself and prepare for the next person facing her.

Ulay was moved to tears after spending moments with Abramović, who he dated and broke up with in 1988.(Youtube)

Comments on the YouTube video of the two artists at MoMA were emotional, as one viewer pointed out: "For me, the most powerful thing is that this is what broke her. This is a woman who her sat still and unperturbed while she was stabbed, burned, deprived, literally tortured, in the name of her art, and the thing that breaks her artistic trance isn’t pain or fear or depravation, it’s love and loss."

Another shared similar views as they added: "Such an intense moment that anybody who has loved and lost can relate to."

"Makes me cry too and smile at the same time. Isn't it wonderful how we people connect to each other?" posted a third.

Another shared: "A heavy, heavy scene. Emotional and beautiful."