The Serbian American artist thinks of the human body as the point of departure for any spiritual development.
Scroll down to explore some of the most impactful performances of this pioneering master performance artist.
Discover 6 Marina Abramovic performances that continue to fascinate the world.
Photo: Rhythm 5, 1974WikiArt(Fair Use)
The performance took place in Naples in 1994.
The performance lasted 6 hours, during which the audience members grew disturbingly more and more aggressive.
Rhythm 0is part of theRhythmseries, where Abramovic confronted physical pain in a number of different performances.
Photo: Marina Abramovic performing “Artist is Present” at the MoMA in May 2010.Wikimedia Commons[CC BY-SA 3.0]
The artist risked her own life for her art in an extreme performance where she almost suffocated.
ForRhythm 5, Abramovic used a large petroleum-drenched star, which the artist lit on fire.
The dangerous performance only ended once audience members decided to pull her out to safety.
The viewers do not notice, because I am supine.
While Abramovic pulled back on the bow, Ulay held the arrow, pointed directly at her heart.
They both started at opposite ends and walked 5,995 kilometers (3,725 miles) towards each other.
They finally met on June 17, 198890 days after they startedand said goodbye.
Both traveled with translators; and while Abramovic barely spoke to hers, Ulay became close to his.
When the artists met, he had a confession to make.
He told me his translator was pregnant with his child, Abramovic reveals.
He asked me what to do.
I told him he should marry her.
She didnt eat, write, or speak during the entire time.
The idea of the work was an experiment, reveals Abramovic.
If they will just come and stay and forget about the time.
He sat opposite Abramovic and waited for her to open her eyes.
When they looked at each other, Abramovic appeared shocked at first and then smiled.
The audience broke out into applause, then Ulay left and another viewer arrived.
Abramovic is captured taking a few deep breaths to recompose herself and carry on with the performance.
