MArina Abramovic

About a week before the opening of Abramovic’s retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, I went to hear her speak about her work. I am glad I gave myself that gift; it gave me a background that definitely helped me appreciate her work and the exhibition currently on at MoMA more. Abramovic, a 64 year-old Yugoslavian performance artist, was in her first exhibition at the tender age of 12. Her early works mostly had to do with sound: the sound of wind through a cardboard box, the sound of birds being projected from speakers placed in trees and so on. However, many of her early projects were never realized. In 1971 she created a work in a corridor of an art gallery. She felt that people entering a museum or gallery are never free to receive art because they come with thoughts and ideas that fill their heads. So in this corridor, screams are played that fill the viewer’s body and Abramovic felt that all thoughts escaped one as a result. By the time you go into the gallery you can receive and accept the art because there is nothing there to block it.

Rhythm O, 1974

In 1974 she created a series of works called “Rhythm.” In Rhythm O which took place in Naples she invited the audience to do whatever they wanted to her for 6 hours with objects laid out on a table. The objects included: scissors, condoms, a whip, various food items, and even a loaded gun. People cut her clothes off, stuck rose thorns in her stomach as some women wiped tears away from her eyes. The piece was about what the audience can do to the artist as she does nothing-the power that the audience has.

In 1976 Abramovic met Ulay in Amsterdam with whom she began a strong love and work relationship. She explained that for 5 years they lived in a car with a dog where they were confronted with themselves because there was nothing else to be confronted with. Each performance that they created together was about simplicity and how their bodies worked in space. Whether walking into each other; slapping each other across the face (body used as instrument); screaming as loud as possible at each other; or pushing a column toward another stationary column using only the force of their individual bodies, their work is emotionally raw and powerful and sometimes difficult to watch.

Imponderabilia, 1977

One of the works that is recreated in the MoMA retrospective is Imponderabilia in which two naked people (originally Ulay and Marina) stand in a doorway and the public has to decide which way to enter and whom to brush up against in order to pass through. Original footage shows that people were forced to get very close to the naked performers; at the MoMA there is a plaque explaining that due to museum regulations, the space between the two naked people has been increased. As a result, viewers are not forced to touch the performers as they were in the original.

Rest Energy, 1980

In Rest Energy Marina once again risked her life by placing an arrow aimed at her heart between her and Ulay. If there was a wrong movement she could have died. Microphones placed on their hearts recorded their increasing heartbeats. The performance lasted a little over 4 minutes.

Originally Marina and Ulay wanted to stage a performance where they would walk from two ends of the Great Wall in China for 1550 miles each and get married after meeting in the middle. It took 6 years to get permission from the Chinese government and by that time, their relationship was over. They performed The Great Wall Walk in 1988 but instead of marrying in the middle, they said goodbye and parted ways. Abramovic was 40 years old at the time and said of her experience, “In the end you are really alone.”

The House with the Ocean View, 2002

After that Abramovic continued to do solo performances and many of the works are on view at MoMA. In 2002 after the September 11th attacks she had a performance at Sean Kelly Gallery in NY who represents her in which she lived for 12 days in the gallery.

The House with the Ocean View, detail

In The House with the Ocean View, three separate spaces were created: a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen that were connected and raised above the floor enough so that ladders were the only access to the spaces. In order for Abramovic to have incentive to stay for the full length of the performance. The ladders were made of knives that would have cut her if she tried to come down.

Luminosity, re-performance, 1997/2010, Image courtesy of artinfo.com

In 1997’s Luminosity, also originally on view at Sean Kelly Gallery, Abramovic sits on a bike seat on a wall with her arms extended upwards and legs out as a luminous light emanates from behind her. This work is re-performed at MoMA.

With over 50 works on view spanning 4 decades and including video, performance, installation, and more, MoMA has attempted to increase the accessibility of Abramovic’s often difficult work. In my opinion, they are successful. Bravo to MoMA for such a well-done exhibition. It is hard to present the cumulation of work of a performance artist and they have done it creatively and with style. Not only is original footage used, but they have a room full of photographs and documentation as well as actors hired to re-perform some of her most poignant works.

New work on view in the atrium, The Artist is Present, 2010

Never shying away from the difficult or the painful, Abramovic has created an original work in the atrium of the museum that will be the longest duration of time a work has lasted yet in her oeuvre. For 3 months and over 600 hours, she will sit at an empty table and museum-goers are encouraged to sit across from her and engage her in eye contact-Abramovic will not speak for the duration of this work. On opening night she had a special visitor sit across from her at the table: Ulay. During his time at the table a tear fell down Abramovic’s cheek and this stoic performer showed what her art has been sharing with us for years whether we want to hear it or not–that there is often no need for words– actions speak volumes about our emotions.