about.

Performing Body is an event offering an overview of the work and practice of Marina Abramovic, one of the leading figures of the international art scene. Abramovic returns to Rome after a 20-year absence with a solo exhibition across two locations, preceded by a lecture given by the artist.

Marina Abramovic, originally from Yugoslavia but now based in the Netherlands, has been known in Italy since the 1960s thanks to her work and performances being featured in major international exhibitions (including Contemporanea, curated by Achille Bonito Oliva, Rome, 1973; and Rhythm Zero, Studio Morra, Napoli 1974) as well as appearing in several editions of the Venice Biennale (1976, 1993).

The artist’s practice has achieved significant and widespread acclaim, as evidenced by invitations to take part in some of the world’s most important events and exhibitions (Documenta, Kassel – Sao Paulo Biennale – 4th Biennal of Sydney – Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris – Tate Gallery, London), as well as the recent success of her touring retrospective (Oxford Museum of Modern Art – UK, Groninger Museum – Groningen, the Netherlands, Museum Van Hedendaagse Kunst – Ghent, Belgium). Marina Abramovic has also been invited to take part in the main exhibition at the 51st Edition of the Venice Biennale 1997, curated by Germano Celant.

Performing Body will open with a lecture by the artist in the Sala Teatro at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni on Monday 19 May 1997. During the lecture the artist will present a series of filmed clips relating to the use of the body as both material and object, one which has its own physical and mental limits: this has been the central concern of Abramovic‘s work since the 1960s.

Indeed, over the 25 years of her career the artist has put together a series of reference points to give context to her work, drawing inspiration from a range of disciplines: from cinema to dance, music to theatre, performance art to video, from documentaries on tribal rhythms to technology.

During the lecture Abramovic will present the entirety of her research, along with examples of her artistic practice, thanks to the projection of images of performances from the 1960s to the 1990s, as well as recent video work.

The lecture will be followed by an exhibition of the artist’s work at the STUDIO STEFANIA MISCETTI, Rome. The exhibition, the opening of which will take place on the same evening as the lecture, will feature photographic work related to the artist’s performance pieces, as well as recent video installations such as Cleaning the Mirror and Lips of Thomas, in addition to a work of sculpture.

An installation specially created by Abramovic for the event will then be presented at Zerynthia in Paliano on Sunday 1 June at 11.00.

Performing Body benefits from the support of the Municipality of Rome and the Royal Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Italy.

The Performing Body catalogue, which includes several critical essays and an interview with the artist by Dobrila de Negri, will be available on the closing night of the exhibition.

In partnership with the Royal Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Municipality of Rome.

Read and download the exhibition’s press release.

works.

here below are some images from MARINA ABRAMOVIC’s performing body.