MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ

In ‘Places of Power, Waterfall’, we see the figure of the artist—she is famously present—this time poised almost like a Christ-figure her arms spread out while she stands beneath the rushing power of a waterfall. Framed by the whitewater and dressed all in white, the figure maintains a solemn countenance while her body seems to act as conduit for the energetic force of nature that engulfs her. 

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. Her work has also been included in many large-scale international exhibitions including the Venice Biennale (1976 and 1997) and Documenta VI, VII and IX, Kassel, Germany (1977, 1982 and 1992).  She was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Artist at the 1997 Venice Biennale or her video installation and performance ‘Balkan Baroque (1997)’, in which she hand-washed 1,500 cattle bones. Between 1976 and 1988, Abramović collaborated with German photographer and performance artist Ulay. She was the subject of a major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, ‘The Artist is Present’, in which visitors sat across from Abramović in silent communion.

Abramovic founded the Marina Abramovic Institute (MAI), a platform for immaterial and long durational work to create new possibilities for collaboration among thinkers of all fields.