Marina Abramović is the creator of pioneering performance art which transcends the form’s provocative origins. Her visceral and extreme performances have tested the limits of both body and mind, communicating with audiences worldwide on a personal and political level. Updated and revised throughout, the book combines:
a biography, setting out the contexts of Abramović’s work
an examination of the artist through her writings, interviews and influences
a detailed analysis of her work, including studies of the Rhythm series, Nightsea Crossing and 512 Hours
practical explorations of the performances and their origins.
As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on to further, primary research, Routledge Performance Practitioners offer unbeatable value for today’s student.
List of Figures. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 1. BIOGRAPHY AND CONTEXT. Beginnings in the Balkans. Revolutionary fervour. Risk. Relations and relationships. Transition. 'Cleaning the House'. Continuity. Origins and authenticity. 2. WRITINGS, INTERVIEWS AND INFLUENCES. Defining moments and early discoveries. Global perspective/nomadic outlook. Conditions for creativity. East West/Global South Global North. The desert as source. 'Transitory Objects' and spectator interactivity. Cage and Klein. Documentation. The mind’s potential. Trance states and experiences of time. Space and place. Creative contradictions. Film and video works. Extended receptivity. Return to the Balkans. The physical, the spiritual. Spiritual energy. 3. KEY WORKS. Early works up to 1975, Rhythm series. Collaborative period 1975-1988, Nightsea Crossing and The Lovers: The Great Wall Walk. 1988-2008, Balkan Baroque and The House with the Ocean View. 2008-2018, The Artist is Present, 512 Hours and The Cleaner. Artists for hire. 4. PRACTICAL EXPLORATIONS AND THEIR ORIGINS. Workshop retreat. Body conditioning. Sensory awareness and receptivity. Memory and re-membering. GLOSSARY. BIBLIOGRAPHY. INDEX.
Mary Richards is a Reader at Brunel University London, UK. She has written a number of papers and journal articles on performance and live art practices.
