Marina Abramovi? and the long durational performances
27.06.2026 - 21:47:53 | ad-hoc-news.de
Marina Abramovi? stands as one of the central figures in the history of performance art, known for testing physical and psychological limits in front of an audience. Her long durational works, often stretching over hours or weeks, have redefined what museums and biennials can demand from visitors and from artists.
How the long durational works emerged
Abramovi? began exploring endurance and risk in the 1970s with early pieces such as Rhythm 0 (1974), where she placed 72 objects on a table and invited the audience to use them on her body, including a loaded gun, pushing participation to a dangerous edge as later accounts and documentation show.
In the late 1970s and 1980s, her collaboration with Ulay produced works like Rest Energy and the Great Wall performance Lovers, which extended the durational format into relationship and trust, and demonstrated how sustained tension could become the core material of an artwork.
The museum turn with The Artist Is Present
The durational concept entered a new institutional scale with The Artist Is Present at MoMA in 2010, where Abramovi? sat silently across from visitors for hours each day over nearly three months, establishing eye contact and transforming the atrium into a space of concentrated attention.
Documentation from MoMA highlights the strict structure of this work: fixed seating, queued audiences, no speaking, and the artist maintaining presence for up to seven hours daily, which became a benchmark for how museums can frame performance as a central exhibition experience rather than a side program.
Further background on Marina Abramovi?
An overview of Marina Abramovi? news, exhibitions and market developments is available in the AD HOC NEWS archive for readers who want to follow her performance practice over time.
The logic of endurance in her practice
Abramovi?’s long durational pieces rely on repetition, restriction and time as primary materials, often reducing actions to simple gestures such as sitting, standing, or lying down, while the length of the performance shifts perception from spectacle to shared experience.
This logic appears in works where she stands motionless or performs slow movements over extended periods, creating conditions in which audiences become acutely aware of their own bodies, attention span and emotional reactions, rather than only observing the performer as object.
Key work groups across decades
Several work groups structure Abramovi?’s career: the early risk-driven Rhythm series, the collaborative performances with Ulay, the long durational solo pieces, and later participatory works where trained performers re-enact historical actions, each group reflecting a specific stance on presence and vulnerability.
The Rhythm pieces focus on bodily limits and danger, while the Ulay collaborations center on relational tension; the long durational solo works emphasize stillness and endurance, and the re-performances question how ephemeral actions can enter canon and be transmitted within institutional frames.
How the artist works
Marina Abramovi? primarily works in performance, often developing detailed scores and training methods that treat the artist’s body like an instrument, with strict preparation regimes, controlled environments and clear rules for audience interaction that shape the perception of each piece.
Where the artist stands now
Against this backdrop, Marina Abramovi? continues to be referenced by institutions and younger artists as a key figure for understanding how long durational performance can function within museums and large-scale exhibitions.
Key facts on Marina Abramovi?
- Artist: Marina Abramovi?
- Medium / Genre: Performance art (long durational works)
- Born: 1946, Belgrade, former Yugoslavia (now Serbia)
- Place(s) of practice: Studio practice between Europe and the United States
- Active since: Early 1970s, with formative performances developed in Belgrade and later across European venues
- Key work groups: Rhythm series, Ulay collaboration works, long durational performances such as The Artist Is Present, re-performances and participatory pieces
- Current/last exhibition: Retrospective and survey exhibitions at major museums over the past years have revisited her long durational pieces and historical performances
- Major collections: Works and documentation held in institutions including MoMA (New York), Tate (London) and other leading museums that collect performance-related material
- Awards: Numerous international honors and institutional recognitions for contributions to performance art
- Next date: currently no announced date in the 30-day window
Frequently asked questions about Marina Abramovi?
What defines Marina Abramovi?’s long durational performances?
They are works that unfold over extended periods, often hours or weeks, using simple actions and strict rules to focus on endurance, presence and audience interaction, with time functioning as a core material.
How did The Artist Is Present shape museum performance?
The MoMA project established that a museum could dedicate a central space and long run time to a single live work, encouraging institutions to treat performance as a primary exhibition form rather than a peripheral event.
Which work groups structure Abramovi?’s career?
Her practice moves from the risk-oriented Rhythm series through collaborative works with Ulay to solo long durational pieces and later re-performances, each group exploring different dimensions of presence, vulnerability and institutional framing.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
