Marina Abramović Film

1. What are some of your first impressions of Marina Abramovic’s performance works, based on the documentary? Use an image/example of one or two works to describe aspects you admire, and aspects you might agree are problematic?

My first impressions of Marina Abramovic’s works were at first uncomfortable, an act I needed to look away from. Abramovic performed “Freeing the Voice” in 1976, a piece where she lay on her back and screamed continuously until she lost her voice. That one performance really made me unsettled because it forced me to confront such raw and aggressive feelings of pain and exhaustion that other art doesn’t usually provide vocally. However, I see potential problems with her performances due to her risking her audience and herself. In 1974, Marina performed “Rhythm 5,” where she lay inside a five-pointed wooden star that was set on fire; the flames and smoke used up the oxygen, and she lost consciousness until audience members pulled her out. Her performance raises the question for bystanders about consent and responsibility. Witnessing a scene like that can be traumatic for an audience member. Were they expected to watch silently, or were they obligated to intervene?  Abramovic overly pushing herself in her work makes it both powerful and problematic, as it forces us to think about the ethics between the artist and the spectator.

2. What have you learned about features of performance art based on Abramovic’s work? Name a few key features according to her precedents. Include an image to illustrate. Consider her quote “When you perform it is a knife and your blood, when you act it is a fake knife and ketchup.”

I have learned that Abramovic’s work is defined by risk, intensity and time. She overextends her body to the point where it becomes art. Works such as Nightsea Crossing with Ulay demonstrated how performance art pushes the limits of the human body, featuring her extreme mental and physical stillness, fasting, and silence. Abramovic’s work is also defined by its realism; she insists her performances must be as real as possible to show their authenticity. If everything were an illusion, not much could be taken away from it. 

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