Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present

I have not had much experience with performance art in my life—perhaps only a few mentions of the artform and some artists. Really my only reference point has been that what Maureen does in the musical Rent, is not it. Marina Abramovic is called the grandmother of performance art and after watching this documentary, that is vividly apparent. I don't have information as to how she has shaped the understanding of performance art, but by the sheer duration of time in which she's been doing so and the prowess her name and work has, it is apparent. This documentary closely follows her process in forming and enacting her exhibit in MoMA (the Museum of Modern Art) in 2012 entitled, "The Artist is Present." The exhibit was composed of glimpses into all of the major historical pieces she has done, including eight major ones being re-performed by a troupe of artists she gathered and trained (which we also get to witness). The pièce de résistance was her new work which is captured in the image attached to this post. Marina sat, unmoving, for every hour the museum was open every day for the entire two months the exhibit was in the museum. Individual audience members would get to sit in front of her and engage only in eye contact; no moving, no touching, no distractions, just exist. Her work has always dealt with endurance, stamina, pushing the body and mind to and beyond its limits. The audience gets to go through the story of her life and body of work in the documentary as she examines it to be featured in the exhibit.

Marina Abramovic's work and the documentary itself both pose questions about how is art related to the audience and how does the perception of work influence the work itself. This is something I've been fascinated with especially making work on Zoom and having audiences be so far removed from the piece when I believe theater is specifically about the connective tissue between the audience and the work. I don't know if I'll ever dive into performance art or take much greater interest in Marina's work, but I'll definitely have it as a reference point.