In 1974, an artist allowed the public to interact with her body however they chose for six hours. The experience left her feeling ‘ready to die.’
Marina Abramović is a Serbian conceptual and performance artist known for pushing the boundaries of the body and mind, as well as exploring the dynamic between artist and audience
In her most renowned performance, titled ‘Rhythm 0,’ Abramović set up 72 objects on a table and invited spectators to use them on her in any way they wished.
For six hours, Abramović remained motionless, stating that she would take ‘full responsibility’ for whatever the public chose to do to her.
The 72 objects included items ranging from flowers, perfume, and apples to more ominous objects such as razors and knives.
Initially, the audience’s response was relatively mild. Some simply observed as Abramović stood still, while others gave her roses and held her hands.
However, as the performance progressed, things took a darker turn when the audience realized there were no limits to their actions.
By the end of the six hours, Abramović had been stripped of her clothing, and a knife had been placed between her legs.
Harrowing photos from the performance capture the artist in tears.
Other reports indicate that Abramović—often celebrated as ‘one of the most significant artists of the second half of the 20th century’—eventually had a loaded gun pointed at her head, prompting bystanders to intervene and end the performance.
In an interview on the Marina Abramović Institute YouTube channel, she described the piece as ‘really difficult.’
“At first, nothing much happened,” she recalled. “The public was incredibly kind. They gave me roses, kissed me, and gazed at me. As time went on, their enthusiasm grew wilder and wilder.”
Reflecting on what happened when the performance finally ended, she continued, “I began to move, to be myself […] and at that moment, everyone scattered. People couldn’t actually face me as an individual.”
She added, “The lesson I took from this experience is that while you can push boundaries in your own performances, leaving decisions up to the public can be risky.”
Further reflecting on this in a 2014 interview with The Guardian, Abramović admitted she was ‘ready to die.’
“I had a pistol with bullets in it, my dear. I was ready to die,” she told the newspaper.
She went on to say that she felt ‘lucky’ to have lived to tell the tale.
