Within the realm of contemporary art, Marina Abramović has forged a niche that's distinctly hers – one that fearlessly hones in on intimacy, vulnerability and spirituality. Blurring the boundaries between artist and audience, Abramović’s emotionally charged performances exercise her fluency in existential musings.
The provocative Serbian performance artist has just birthed a new piece of performance art, Balkan Erotic Epic – a rework of a video she produced in 2005. Self-dubbed the grandmother of performance art, her latest work explores her Slavic roots over a four-hour spectacle that dances between folklore and explicit eroticism.
Unveiled at Aviva Studios in Manchester, Balkan Erotic Epic is a coalescence of life, death and sexuality – making the piece impossible to pigeonhole into one sole category. Unfolding over 13 visceral scenes, the piece pays homage to the rich history of Abramović’s homeland. 70 performers, singers and dancers breathe life into the spectacle – which retains a core ethos throughout: one which speaks to the reclamation of our bodies, encouraging them to be a canvas for autonomy, transformation and playfulness.
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In her show notes, Abramović summarises the motivations behind the piece, writing, "In our culture today, we label anything erotic as pornography. Balkan Erotic Epic is the most ambitious work in my career. This gives me a chance to go back to my Slavic roots and culture, look back to ancient rituals and deal with sexuality, in relation to the universe and the unanswered questions of our existence. Through this project, I would like to show poetry, desperation, pain, hope, suffering, and reflect our own mortality."
In honour of this latest masterpiece, familiarise yourself with some of the most iconic works from Marina Abramović’s unmatched portfolio.
1. The Artist Is Present
Arguably her most renowned performance — and one of the most iconic in history — this piece took place at MOMA in 2010, and consisted of Abramović sitting at a table for 736 hours and 30 minutes, inviting strangers to engage in silent eye contact with her. Transcending barriers of language, culture and age, Abramović extended an understanding to attendees, encouraging vulnerability and mutual empathy. Naturally, the spectacle provoked a plethora of responses – and led the work to endure well beyond the exhibition through championing the simplicity, yet undeniable power of presence. One visitor in particular garnered an emotional response: German artist Ulay, who was her former partner and creative collaborator of 12 years. The two sat across from one another in silence, with tears running down their cheeks, conjuring up a tender and emotionally charged scene.
2. Counting the Rice
In 2015 at Tasmania’s MONA, Abramović explored the mundanity of the day-to-day with Counting the Rice. Willing participants were clothed in white laboratory coats, paired with noise-cancelling headphones, where they were then assigned the tedious task of counting individual grains of rice. Abramović’s meditation aims to transform the nature of the mundane, pushing participants to instead perceive it through a lens of appreciation. This poetic journey of time cherished fleeting moments that often aren’t given a second thought.
3. Rhythm 0
Rhythm 0 consisted of a six-hour-long endurance art performance, where controversy was the subtext of the piece. Abramović positioned herself as the object and completely placed her safety in the hands of her audience, stating she would take full responsibility for her audience’s actions. Prior to the performance, Abramović laid out 72 items, which ranged from flowers and perfume, to razors and knives. This experiment aimed to expose human nature when given complete freedom. The performance commenced gently as participants laid out roses and showered the artist with perfume. But approaching the third hour, the piece took a sinister turn, with various participants choosing violence to the point where onlookers had to intervene to protect Abramović and wipe away her tears. By testing the limits of her own physicality and emotional endurance, in turn, Abramović’s piece divided her audience into two categories: those fuelled by kindness and those driven by violence.
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Feature image from Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present (2012), via IMDb.
