Across a career spanning some 50 years, the Serbian artist has continuously pushed the boundaries of performance art. Abramovic’s largest UK survey to date, twice postponed by the pandemic, is finally opening at the Royal Academy of Art in London, and includes installations, footage of early works and four restagings of major performances by a cast the artist has trained (23 September–1 January 2024). Given that Abramovic made her name by using her body as both subject and medium, it will be interesting to see how performances – such as Nude with Skeleton (2002), in which the artist re-enacted the Tibetan practice of sleeping alongside the dead – will play out with the artist’s avatars. Early works due to be explored again include the six-hour-long Rhythm 0 (1974), in which the artist stood by a table holding 72 assorted objects – including a rose and a gun – and invited the audience to do whatever they wished. Find out more on the Royal Academy’s website.
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Four Crosses: The Evil (positive) (2019), Marina Abramovic. Courtesy the Marina Abramovic Archives; © Marina Abramović
Rhythm 0 (1974), Marina Abramovic. Photo: Donatelli Sbarra; courtesy the Marina Abramovic Archives; © Marina Abramović
The Hero (2001), Marina Abramovic. Courtesy the Marina Abramovic Archives; © Marina Abramovic