The first time I was exposed to Marina Abramović’s work was while perusing social media. I bumped into a video clip of ‘The Artist is Present’ at MoMA in New York City. She sparked my interest immediately. I thought “Who is she?”, “What is she creating?”, “How do you spell her name? I’mma google her.”
Since then, I’ve been researching her and her work and I’ve been totally drawn. So drawn that the moment I recognized my fascination in her, I had to pause and ask myself why. I wondered ‘what is it about her that moves me?’. It didn’t take long to realize, I was magnetized to her authenticity. I was captivated by her fearlessness. I observed some of her work and became aware of how she actually uses herself, her physical body, as the main component in her art. She is the art. How magnificent is that? Not only does she use her body in her work, she uses it so brazenly. Ultimately, she becomes a vessel to reveal the authentic selves of the audience.
Back in 1974, she performed a six hour piece titled ‘Rhythm 0’ at Studio Morra in Naples, which entailed her standing still for six hours, inviting the public to do whatever they wanted to her with the 72 objects she left on a table in the room. The objects included a rose, feather, honey, perfume, wine, a scalpel, nails, a metal bar, and even a loaded gun. She claimed to take full responsibility, reassuring the audience that they were safe in choosing to do whatever their hearts desired. The purpose of this project was to demonstrate a sincere revelation of the people and what they’re capable of doing when given this sort of privilege. She was so committed to this piece of art, that she refrained from any resistance. Mentally, she was prepared for anything, including rape or murder.
At first, the audience were taking turns dabbing with the various objects from the table and being quite gentle. Then, after a couple of hours, the people began to remove her clothes, cut her with the scalpel, stab her with rose thorns, kiss on her, suck her blood, fondle her, and one person even took the loaded gun and placed her finger on the trigger while pointing it towards her. She still did not resist but other people did. A fight broke out among the audience members. At the end of this piece, she finally began to move and walk towards the audience and the people ran away. They were so lost in seeing her as an object that they were not prepared to face her as a human being.
Later on, she went on to say, “What I learned was that if you leave it up to the audience, they can kill you.”
Marina Abramović has been into pushing past perceived limitations for herself and her participants since the early 70s. Through performance she challenges herself physically, emotionally and mentally. She keeps herself vulnerable and releases all power to the audience.
In 2010, when she performed ‘The Artist is Present’, she performed presence, living in the moment and exhibiting the power of a gaze. She sat still everyday, eight hours a day for three months, gazing into the eyes of hundreds and hundreds of strangers. She sat there motionless, without eating, drinking or using the restroom. After hours of sitting, her body was in pain but she refused to walk through that mental door, knowing that the pain would distract her intent. Instead, she ignored the pain, overcame its presence and eventually with time, entered another realm that surpassed the physical. By this, she proved the power of the mind. The object here was to stretch the length of performance to the point of altering the perception of time and cultivating a deeper engagement for whatever period of time the audience member chose to participate. The eyes became a window to the soul. She became a mirror, a reflection. Some people cried, some smiled, some just stared back and others closed their eyes, as if they could not bear what they were seeing.
This performance drew over a thousand people. This goes to show, humans are always seeking. Whether it was curiosity that brought them there or simply the desire to connect, people need each other. The audience and participants are the key ingredients in making her art successful. Without the people, her art would be incomplete.
I can recall engaging in a similar act while on a spiritual retreat out in Costa Rica. In the simple engagement of an eye gaze, there’s so much to absorb. I engaged in this exercise for a period of time with complete strangers and was able to see pain, love, trauma, contentment, peace, fears and so on, without ever meeting them before or knowing anything about their past. Not only do you see, you can also sense. You can feel their energy, their aura whether light or dark. It’s pretty amazing. This does require stillness though, which many people are unable to do or more so are uncomfortable doing (especially New Yorkers). This is one of the many boundaries she surpasses.
Her art and the fearlessness that lives in it is so inspiring to me. I am full of fear and she reminds me of our limitlessness, though we are human and mortal. Her courage and bravery is so loud and beautiful. I pray to have at least an ounce of it, so that I can pour it into my writing or any creative measure I engage in. I am so moved by her, I made it my business to see her when The New York Times announced they were having a Times Talks featuring her and Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova at the Florence Gould Hall, NYC on May 14, 2018. After reading and watching her work through the internet, I yearned to see Marina in person. I needed to see her in the flesh, share space with her, feel her energy, observe her mannerisms and perhaps even catch eye contact, in which I did not because I was too far in the back. Still and all, I am grateful to have seen her. I absorbed whatever she had to offer. Nadya even shared how Marina has been teaching her the importance in emptying oneself when creating one’s art. I totally get it. We’re so full of conditioning, ideals and criticism that we forget to create from our most authentic self, our most vulnerable self. Marina expressed how important it is to give ALL of yourself; beyond 100%, more so 120% and how everything should be done delving in the realm of love.
Now, it’s super clear to me why her work is so magnetizing.
Liza's Abode 