Marina Abramovic notes

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Marina Abramovic

Born November 30th 1946 in Serbia

Lives in New York

Known as "the grandmother of Performance Art"

Rhythm 0 (1974) was an early work where she invited the audience to do what they wanted to her while she remained passive for six hours. There were 72 objects that the audience could use including weapons like a scissors and a loaded gun, and other more gentle items such as a feather and a rose. Over the six hours the audience got more aggressive, ripping her clothes and injuring her.

In 1976 she moved to Amsterdam and met Ulau (Uwe Laysiepen) who became her lover and collaborator. They performed many pieces together including Rest Energy (1980). In it a bow and arrow is stretched between them with the arrow pointing at Abramovic's heart. The piece lasts for 4 minutes and microphones pick up the sounds of their beating hearts. As with much of her early solo work, there is real physical danger involved in the performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcaaVZrUC44 (Embed)

In 2010 the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York held a major retrospective where performance artists recreated several of Abramovic's most famous work. She also performed a new piece called The Artist is Present where members of the public came to sit opposite her over the course of two and a half months (736 hours). Many people found the work deeply moving. Her preparation for the show are described in the documentary The Artist is Present (2012).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcmcEZxdlv4 (Embed)