Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present

Marina Abramovic. The Artist is Present. 2009

    One day, while searching YouTube Shorts, I came across a video about a female artist. She was sitting on a museum chair, keeping eye contact with people as part of her performance. She seemed very calm and her eyes seemed to be fixed too much. People participated in her performance, some crying and some smiling as they watched her. There were many different expressions and reactions. At first, watching her performance seemed to torture herself. I never looked for the short video again, but somehow her presence remained in my mind and stayed with me for a long time. Later, I discovered the documentary The Artist is Present and finally got a chance to learn her name and her real life. Knowing this fact felt like a gift, especially since I already had a lot of thoughts about her. This way, I got into her art world.

Marina Abramovic. Rhythm 0. 1974

    Her name was Marina Abramovich and she was a very influential performance artist in the world of contemporary art. The term performance art began to be popularly used in the 1970s, but its history goes back to the futurism and avant-garde movements of the 1910s, like Dada. Unlike traditional paintings and sculptures, performance art often blurs the line between an artist and an audience by emphasizing body, presence, and momentality (Tate). The documentary follows Marina Abramovich, who has been fearlessly and radically redefining what art is, preparing for a large-scale retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), one of the best art institutions in the world. She has been active since the 1970s and has performed performances that push both her body and mind to the limit. Instead of beautiful paintings with brushes and colors that people often imagine when they think of the word "art," she used her body as a medium to build a form of art through physical pain, long static, and direct interaction with the audience. Her rhythm series clearly showcases this form of art. Rhythm 0 allows the audience to use objects on the artist's body and has become a performance that strongly reveals human nature. Curator Blesenbach commented that it is "That is kind of a scientific experiment that reveals human nature.” (The artist is present, 0:12:39)

    While preparing for her performance at MoMA, Marina decided to recreate her previous performance pieces as well. However, instead of performing in person, Marina gave 30 young artists a chance and decided to focus entirely on her new masterpiece, Artist Is Present. This decision shows how sincere and dedicated she has been to this work. During a workshop with 30 young artists at home to prepare for the performance, Marina said: "Artist have to be warrior. Have to have this determination and have to have the stamina to conquer, not just new territory but also to conquer himself and his weaknesses." (0:17:47). This horse shows Marina's mindset to approach her performance.

Marina Abramovic & Ulay, Imponderabilia (photo), 1977

    One of the reenactments was Imponderabilia, one of Marina's iconic works with her longtime collaborator and partner Ulay. In this work, the audience had to pass between two naked artists standing opposite each other at the entrance of the museum, and in the process, they had to face their own eyes, attitudes, and discomfort. Marina and Ullay worked on all of the pieces together for 12 years. However, as time passed, conflicts began to build over artistic direction, the struggle for balance of power, and the difference in personal desires. However, this tension was not the decisive cause of the two' separation in the end.

Ulay and Marina approach each other at the end of their trek. Photograph: publicdelivery.org

    Their last recognizable piece, The Lovers: The Great Wall Walk, was conceived as a performance where two artists begin at opposite ends of the Great Wall and meet halfway. During this time, Ulay developed a connection with a Chinese interpreter, who noticed that she later became pregnant. This event marked a significant turning point in their separation. Ultimately, the performance not only marked their last collaboration, but also became a symbolic representation of their breakup. After this incident, Marina was deeply hurt. Recalling the painful moment, Marina said: “After I split with Ulay, it was the most dramatic moment of my life. I was 40, I was fat, ugly, and unwanted. And I said, God, I lost the man I love and I lost my work because it was working together.” (0:50:20)

    For this reason, there were many surprises when Ulay appeared as an audience member on the first day of the performance of "Artist Is Present." Ulay and Marina sat in front of her and quietly stared into each other's eyes. At first, they were surprised to see him and smiled, but as the stare continued, tears began to flow in their eyes. Countless emotions crossed her face. All the audiences who attended the performance showed various emotions such as anger, curiosity, a desire to understand what happened, and a willingness to open up from the bottom of their hearts. Anyone could feel their pain and emotions. At that moment, the performance was no longer just for Marina, but became a mirror for the audience themselves. Through Marina, the audience faced and reflected on their inner selves. Gallerist Kelly, who manages Marina's exhibitions and sales, said: "Marina's connection to the audience." (1:27:46)

    This documentary raises questions about what Marina Abramovich's life and art is. Marina Abramovich uses her body as a medium of art, but can it truly be art to test pain and personal limitations? So, what can make it that way? To me, Marina Abramovich's performances sometimes looked like art, but sometimes like scientific experiments. Her work hides questions about how people share feelings and react to each other in society. In Rhythm 0, for example, the audience could use provided objects. Among them were dangerous objects, such as knives and guns. The audience had to decide which objects to choose and how to approach them. Some people laughed and threatened her with dangerous objects, while others even hugged her or wiped away her tears. Another example is Imponderabilia. The audience had to walk through a narrow space between a naked man and woman. There were various emotions on their faces. Some people didn't know where to look and smiled awkwardly, while others didn't make eye contact. There were even people walking by making eye contact with them without taking their eyes off them. These questions are linked to a long-standing debate about what art is. Tolstoy said in "What Is Art?" “Art begins when someone, with the object of making others share his feeling, expresses his feeling by certain external indications. … Thus art is a means of union among men, joining them together in the same feelings.” (Tolstoy) Under this definition, Abramovich's work is undoubtedly art when it evokes powerful emotions, such as discomfort, fear, and compassion in the audience.

Source: 

Marina Abramović. the Artist Is Present. 2009 | Moma, www.moma.org/audio/playlist/243/3133. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025. 

Marina Abramović. Rhythm 0. 1974 | Moma, www.moma.org/audio/playlist/243/3118. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025. 

Marina Abramović and Ulay. Imponderabilia. 1977/2010 | Moma, www.moma.org/audio/playlist/243/3119. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025. 

“What Is Art?” The Project Gutenberg eBook of What Is Art?, By Leo Tolstoy, www.gutenberg.org/files/64908/64908-h/64908-h.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com. Accessed 30 Aug. 2025. 

“Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present.”Kanopy, 2012. 

Tate. “Performance Art.” Tate, www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/performance-art. Accessed 1 Sept. 2025. 

“The Bittersweet Story of Marina Abramović’s Epic Walk on the Great Wall of China.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 25 Apr. 2020, www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/apr/25/marina-abramovic-ulay walk-the-great-wall-of-china.