Artist who was 'ready to die' after allowing people to do anything to her for six hours took part in another extreme act
A Serbian artist who let spectators do 'anything' to her for six hours wowed audiences yet again with another extreme act.
You may be familiar with the name Marina Abramović - and rightly so, because she's gone through enough to deserve recognition.
In 1974, Marina put on a unique artistic performance in which she laid out 72 objects and let audience members do 'whatever' they wanted to her, assuring them she would take 'full responsibility'.
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The display soon descended into chaos, with spectators going as far as to tear Marina's clothes and hold a gun to her head.
Marina admitted the performance left her with a long-lasting feeling of fear, but it didn't stop her from taking her work to the extreme.
In 2010, Marina put on another artistic display, this time in New York City.
The artist set up a table in the Museum of Modern Art, and sat down with an empty chair opposite her.
This performance, titled 'The Artist is Present', might not sound very extreme - but that's because I've not yet told you how long it lasted.
A far cry from the six hours she spent on her performance in 1974, this time Marina dedicated two-and-a-half months to her work, sitting in the chair for seven hours a day from mid-March until the end of May.
During that time, Marina welcomed anyone to sit at the empty chair opposite her and have a 'silent conversation' with the artist, though they were instructed not to touch her or speak to her.
Among those who took up Marina's invitation was none other than Professor Snape himself; actor Alan Rickman.
Another person who sat with Marina at the table was a man named Frank Uwe Laysiepen, better known as Ulay, who had previously been in a relationship with Marina.
The artist broke her 'don't touch' rule when Ulay sat down, as she leaned across the table and offered her hands for him to hold.
The display at the museum proved meaningful for even those who were strangers to Marina, and the artist opened up about the impacts in a 2010 interview with The Guardian.
"I gazed into the eyes of many people who were carrying such pain inside that I could immediately see it and feel it," she said.
"I become a mirror for them of their own emotions. One big Hell's Angel with tattoos everywhere stared at me fiercely, but after 10 minutes was collapsing into tears and weeping like a baby."
Topics: Community, Life, Marina Abramović
Emily Brown