Marina Abramović in Amsterdam

Formative Years under Mother’s Strict Supervision

Raised under her mother’s strict supervision, Marina could only return home by 10 p.m. each night, even into her late 20s. This structure, combined with a deeply religious household, influenced her artistic identity and emotional and spiritual transformation through performance.

Studying Fine Arts and the Shift to Body Art

Initially, Abramović enjoyed painting and was formally accepted into the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade. However, her path quickly shifted from traditional fine arts to performance art, ignited by a desire to explore the boundaries of the human body and mind.

First solo performances and iconic work

In her first solo performances, Abramović tackled extreme bodily pain and mental strain. Notably, in Rhythm 0 (1974), she invited the audience to use 72 objects on her body—including a loaded gun—without resistance. This performance piece shocked the art world, highlighting the most horrible moment in which a viewer held a gun to her head.

Balkan Baroque and the horrors of war

Abramović’s Balkan Baroque (1997) won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale and addressed the Yugoslav Wars. Sitting on a pile of bloody cow bones, she scrubbed them for days while singing folk songs—a searing statement on confronting pain, own mortality, and cultural trauma.

The Artist is Present: a modern masterpiece

One of her most iconic performances, The Artist is Present (2010) at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, involved sitting silently across from strangers for 736 hours (the duration of her retrospective exhibition on display at the museum). The silent eye contact created intimate emotional exchanges that resonated deeply with visitors.

A Major Solo Exhibition at the Royal Academy

The Royal Academy in London hosted a major solo exhibition in 2023—a landmark moment as Marina became the first female artist to exhibit in its main galleries. This major exhibition traced her journey from early solo performances to her most ambitious, recent works.

The Hero at Moco Museum Amsterdam

At Moco Museum Amsterdam, visitors can witness The Hero (2002) —a tribute to her father, Vojin Abramović, a World War II hero. Abramović sits on a white horse, holding a white flag, evoking themes of surrender, peace, and moral courage. The performance revisits Abramović’s parental home memories, fusing personal grief with global symbolism.

The Hero 25FPS and Blockchain Innovation

Abramović adapted The Hero into The Hero 25FPS, a groundbreaking NFT collection on the Tezos blockchain. Divided into thousands of unique digital frames, this extension into new platforms shows her continued drive for spiritual journey and projects supporting contemporary access to art.

Founding the Marina Abramović Institute

In 2012, she launched the Marina Abramović Institute, a non-profit foundation focused on the preservation and research of performance art. The institute also supports art lessons, workshops, and projects supporting emerging artists interested in the legacy of endurance art.

Collaborations in Pop and Fashion Culture

Marina has worked with artists like Lady Gaga and designers such as Riccardo Tisci. These collaborations demonstrate how her performance art intersects with popular culture, expanding its reach and relevance to newer audiences.

Spiritual Transformation through Art

Abramović’s work consistently reflects themes of spiritual transformation, endurance, and self-discovery.

Crossing the Great Wall: A Symbolic Separation

A deeply emotional performance piece, The Lovers (1988) saw Marina and Ulay walk from opposite ends of the Great Wall of China to meet in the middle, where they ended their romantic and artistic partnership—a metaphor for connection, separation, and transformation.

Current Legacy at Moco Museum

Today, Moco Museum Amsterdam houses The Hero as part of its Moco Masters exhibition. Through this tribute and many more, Abramović invites visitors to discover her legacy, her pain, and her call for universal healing.

Educational Influence and Visiting Professorships

Marina Abramović has also served as a visiting professor at institutions such as the Berlin University of the Arts and continues to lecture around the globe. Her artistic identity and theories on mental endurance and self-discovery are widely studied by art critics, students, and distinguished intellectuals.

Why you should visit Marina Abramović at Moco

This exhibition is a must-see for those interested in contemporary art, performance art, and the intersections of tradition, technology, and humanity. Marina Abramović’s work stands as a testament to how one female artist can challenge the very notion of what art is.