“There can be no progress without head-on confrontation.” Christopher Hitchens (1949 – 2011)
A head-on confrontation is exactly how Marina Abramović ended her performance artwork Rhythm 0 in 1974. Marina Abramović was born in 1946 in Serbia, to two members of the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia. Due to her parents being highly political, Abramović’s childhood was militaristic (Douglas, 2013). This restricted upbringing enabled her to have the self-control that is evident in her performance work, which is a wonderful thing for an artist. (Abramović, 2013). The self-control she displayed allowed her to convey a deeper message through her work: one of transformation.
Rhythm 0 entailed Abramović sitting for six hours while the audience did as they desired. There was a table beside her, featuring seventy-two objects that could be chosen by the audience to cause pleasure or inflict pain. Among the objects there was a rose, a feather, honey, a whip, scissors, a scalpel and a gun with a single bullet. The six hour endeavour began with a sense of caution from the audience, but as Abramović remained passive, the actions of the audience became more violent. People from the audience cut off her clothing, painted her body and cut her skin. One member aimed the gun at her face, and another took it away (Douglas, 2013). No matter the consequence of the audience member’s action, she would remain still. This allowed Abramović to become mentally attentive to her audience. Her artworks all consist of physical pain, mental transcendence and spiritual elevation. She believes that there is always pain in life, and she has learnt to embrace it. Abramović also believes... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline
Rhythm 0, Performance, Studio Morra Naples, 1974. Photograph Donatelli Sbarra. Image courtesy the artist.
