Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present (March 14–May 31, 2010) at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Marina Abramović is a revolutionary performance artist who challenges viewers through direct interaction. Though probably not widely known outside the art world her work is fascinating because of the drastic and often violent reactions to her works. This exhibition is not for children (unless they grew up on a commune and are comfortable with lots of naked bodies) or the faint of heart, but if you can face confrontation with an open mind this is definitely not to be missed. I will be catching the tail end of the run when I head to New York in May so you will definitely be hearing more about this from me. If anyone has visited the exhibit or does in the future, please let me know how it is!
About the Artist (from her gallery's website):
"Marina Abramović was born in 1946 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Since the beginning of her career, during the early 1970s where she attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade, Abramović has pioneered the use of performance as a visual art form. The body has been both her subject and medium. Exploring the physical and mental limits of her being, she has withstood pain, exhaustion and danger in the quest for emotional and spiritual transformation. As a vital member of the generation of pioneering performance artists that includes Bruce Nauman, Vito Acconci and Chris Burden, Abramović created some of the most historic early performance pieces and continues to make important durational works." - Sean Kelly Gallery, http://www.skny.com/artists/marina-abramovi/
About the Exhibition:
"This performance retrospective traces the prolific career of Marina Abramović (Yugoslav, b. 1946) with approximately fifty works spanning over four decades of her early interventions and sound pieces, video works, installations, photographs, solo performances, and collaborative performances made with Ulay (Uwe Laysiepen). In an endeavor to transmit the presence of the artist and make her historical performances accessible to a larger audience, the exhibition includes the first live re-performances of Abramović’s works by other people ever to be undertaken in a museum setting. In addition, a new, original work performed by Abramović will mark the longest duration of time that she has performed a single solo piece. (Please note: Abramović will not perform during MoMA Nights.) All performances, one of which involves viewer participation, will take place throughout the entire duration of the exhibition, starting before the Museum opens each day and continuing until after it closes, to allow visitors to experience the timelessness of the works. A chronological installation of Abramović’s work will be included in The Joan and Preston Robert Tisch Gallery on the sixth floor of the Museum, revealing different modes of representing, documenting, and exhibiting her ephemeral, time-based, and media-based works. The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue that includes an audio recording of the artist’s voice guiding the reader through the publication." - MoMA, http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/965
*Photo credits: Marina Abramović. Portrait with Flowers. 2009. Black-and-white gelatin silver print; photo: Marco Anelli. © 2010 Marina Abramović. Courtesy the artist and Sean Kelly Gallery/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
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