Marina Abramović was born in 1946 in Belgrade. She studied painting but soon turned her attention to performance art — a genre that was barely established at the time. In the 1970s, she gained international recognition for radical performances in which she subjected her body to extreme physical and psychological challenges.

She shot to fame in 1974 with her performance “Rhythm 0”. In it, Abramović offered her body to the audience for six hours — entirely passive — along with 72 objects, ranging from feathers and roses to a gun, next to it a bullet. The audience could do whatever they wanted. Things began harmlessly, but after three hours, the atmosphere became disturbing: her clothes were cut off, her skin was sliced, someone licked her blood, and she came close to being assaulted. She cried, but she remained silent. She remained the object — until a small group of people stood between her and the rest to protect her. The work questioned how far people would go when given total control — and how quickly violence can emerge.

A key chapter in her career was her long-term collaboration with German artist Ulay. The pair staged intense, often confrontational performances — culminating in their symbolic breakup on the Great Wall of China in 1988. The performance lasted three months. They each started from opposite ends of the wall, and when they met in the middle, it marked the end of their relationship.

Abramović later continued working solo, including her spectacular retrospective “The Artist Is Present” at MoMA in New York in 2010. For three months — eight hours a day — she sat silently across from museum visitors. The line to sit opposite her stretched for hours, even though a curator had initially said, “This is a crazy idea. No one in New York has time to sit in a chair and stare at you.” But staring into her eyes, unable to look away, triggered strong emotions in many — some even cried. One particularly moving moment was when Ulay sat opposite her again. Abramović teared up — a deeply emotional reunion.

Now almost 80 years old (though she looks much younger!), she’s still active and embracing new technologies, from NFTs to AI. And we’re sure the Albertina Modern exhibition will reflect that too!