Marina Abramović: What is Performance Art?

For more information, please visit: http://www.moma.org/abramovic

Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present
March 14-May 31, 2010
Images courtesy of Marina Abramović and Sean Kelly Gallery/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. MoMA installation and performance images courtesy of Scott Rudd and Jason Mandela.

Filmed by The People's DP, Inc.
DP - Edward Roy
Audio - Nick Poholchuck

© 2010 The Museum of Modern Art, New York

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Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• marina
• abramovic
• museum
• modern
• art
• contemporary
• performance
• installation
• exhibit
• exhibition

[darmanisuarez]

I agree with her distinctions between theatre and performance. However, I think a performance can be THEATRICAL and theatre can be performed.

[darkixion89]

@thisisryanblood So why then in Theatres is unreal blood? Thats the difference. Its played, performance art is living.

[Yurikotke]

@hihehihe44

Marina Abramovic herself made some performances without audience in the past, like Expansion in Time. Perhaps her point is about transformation of the seer. The audience does not have to be a "conventional" audience, watching what you do, or maybe you can be your own audience. Vito Acconci followed ordinary people until they entered a building for a performance piece. There was no "audience", but at the same time, he and everyone else in the street was the audience.

[hihehihe44]

Well, I just wanna comment for her idea about Performance art.

"If these is no audience, Performance art is meaningless"

There are some artists who r exploring performance in their daily life. not for audience but for art sake or might be their sake! Does Art have the same value in a comparison to entertainment?

[telecake]

@thisisryanblood I think what she said is correct. In performance art, the artist is not playing a character, s/he is not reciting lines, and s/he is not trying to coveying a story. While theater actors are playing a character whithin a storline. I understand what you meant that a theater actor can be so into his/her character that s/he "becomes" that chatacter but in end, s/he is still playing a charcater;thus it's not "real" in that sense.

[thisisryanblood]

I love Marina. But I disagree. In theatre, you are not repeating. Yes, you may be doing the same thing, but so would Marina. If you are doing theatre correctly, you are not reliving. You are LIVING. It is LIFE, and it is real.

[HoiPolloiOhJoy]

This seems exactly right

[halliealdrich]

Interesting definition of performance-- that it is real action versus a repeated idea of an action. Can a 'real performance' happen in a theater? How did performance show up in art galleries?