A breakthrough to the mainstream. Fifty years of Abramović’s artistic practice in one space.

The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam is currently hosting a significant event in the art world- the retrospective exhibition of conceptual and performance artist Marina Abramović. In collaboration with the Royal Academy of Arts, London, this show stands as the largest of its kind ever hosted in the Netherlands. Spanning over fifty years of Abramović’s artistic career, the exhibition presents over sixty of her works. With a strong focus on her radical performances, the show also features diverse media, including photos, videos, and sculptures. “I spent 55 years putting performance in the mainstream art, and just the fact that this show is in the museum means it has become mainstream.”, says Abramović. The exhibition is curated by Karen Archey and Nina Folkersma of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and Andrea Tarsia of the Royal Academy of Arts, London.

Opening Pandora’s box of memories

Using her body as a medium, Marina Abramović pushed boundaries and grounded her position as a performance and body art figure. With the well-deserved title of ‘godmother of performance art,’ she shifted the status of this discipline from the experimental realm into the mainstream. “There are so many different forms of art; performance is one of the most difficult, the most immaterial, and the most real”, she says. Her works have evolved over time, delving into the realms of physical pain, endurance, and the limits of the human body and gradually shifting over time to explore the limits of mind, spirituality, and psychological resilience. “This exhibition is like opening Pandora’s box of memories.”, she reflects, inviting the audience to explore her artistic journey. 

Private and artistic relationship with Ulay

The curators’ retrospective approach chronologically guides visitors through Abramović’s works, thus highlighting changes and developments in the performance art movement. Within this narrative, however, two main themes of her work emerge. At the beginning of her career, her focus was on the body as a subject and medium, which later changed into exploring the limits of the mind. Between these two, a clear transition point can be observed. Her early works were created in the former Yugoslavia, where she comes from (Serbia), and in Amsterdam. This is where she met Ulay, a German artist who was her life and artistic partner and with whom she created many significant works. After twelve years of sharing paths, these two decided to split. From this moment on, Abramović started her solo career with an emphasis on exploring the mind’s limits. That’s how she reflects on that change, “My career has shifted. Initially, it was about pushing physical limits, the body, and seeing how far one can go. After that, it had much to do with mental limits because they are much more difficult to handle.” 

The first two rooms cover Abramović’s early solo performances, including “Rhythm 0” and “Lips of Thomas”. This is also where visitors have the opportunity to witness and experience the first of four live performances presented in the Stedelijk Museum. In the context of this exhibition, the first one- “Imponderabilia” (with Ulay, 1977), represents a moment of transition and career development for Marina. However, initially, “we (Abramović and Ulay) thought that the museum would not exist if there were no artists, so we decided to be the door of the museum. It’s a very poetic idea. You’re going through the door of the artist to enter the museum.”. Stepping through this ‘living door’ opens the next chapter of Abramović’s works. The time spent in both a private and artistic relationship with Ulay has resulted in many works exploring dependence (“Relation in Time”, 1977), trust (“Rest Energy”, 1980), and the dynamic of emotions between the two (“AAA-AAA”, 1978). 

This relationship ended with the performance “The Lovers: Great Wall Walk” (1988), in which they head towards each other starting from opposite ends of the Great Wall of China. Meeting in the middle symbolises and, in fact, ends their relationship. 

From that moment on, Abramović re-started her solo career, which continues to this day. Upon exploring her body’s limits, she realised it was bringing her into a meditative state. Since then, her works have started to focus more on pushing the boundaries of her mind rather than her body, like with “Balkan Baroque” (1997) or “The Artist is Present” (2009). She described her path as “more and more of less and less.”

“I spent 55 years putting performance in the mainstream art, and just the fact that this show is in the museum means it has become mainstream.”
— says Abramović.

Re-performed performances 

Abramovic intended to make this exhibition a ‘living’ one; therefore, four live performances are being re-performed. Three of them, “Art Must Be Beautiful, Artist Must Be Beautiful” (1975), “Imponderabilia” (with Ulay, 1977), and “Luminosity” (1997), happen every day at different times, while “The House with the Ocean View” (2002) will be performed from 5^th till 16^th of June. The artist is not performing herself anymore. However, the re-enactments consist of people trained according to The Marina Abramović Method. Having gathered all her experience, she developed a training institute for performance art, “I teach them endurance; I teach them how to reach their own physical limits, concentrate, and be here and now, nowhere else. Past already happened, future didn’t, so here and now is the most important moment.”. Regardless of how well trained, re-enactments lack the artist’s urgency. However, the aspect of their presence in the performance art exhibition adds dynamic and contextual reference. 

Marina Abramović’s approaches and limits

Despite being presented in a vast space, the number of works on show gives a sense of a very compact display. Particularly with regard to the number of visitors, though there are designated entry hours, the exhibition is mainly overcrowded, which is also unsurprising given such an iconic name on the art scene. Although this is a retrospective exhibition, the variety and number of works on display somehow diminish their strength if they were experienced individually. On the other hand, this very fact highlights how prolific and complex of an artist she is. 

Nevertheless, the exhibition is certainly worth a visit. Although packed, it combines a collection of iconic works into one space. It is a unique opportunity to interact with and reflect on Marina Abramović’s approaches and limits. 

“I hope very young people come to see this show. My audience is always mostly young, and I think it is because I tell the truth. It is because my work is emotional, very direct and diverse.”

Visitors have to pay extra to see the exhibition, but at the entrance, they receive a sticker entitling them to unlimited further visits. If one has the time, this is a very good opportunity to embrace her work in several attempts and get the most out of this interaction. Marina Abramović’s retrospective exhibition is running until 14 July 2024. 

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Marina Abramović,

Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam

Exhibition — Mar 16 until Jul 14, 2024 

More info