WHAT? Marina Abramovic 

WHERE? Royal Academy of Arts, Main Galleries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J OBD 

WHEN? Now until 1st January 2024

WHY GO?  For an intense cultural experience.  No one has pushed themselves beyond the point of human endurance for the sake of art like Abramovic.  The Serbian performance artist knows, more than anyone, how mentally exhausting creativity can be, having recently recovered from a serious illness.  

This is a first for her and for the RAA; the main galleries have been transformed into her world and it is mesmerising.  

On show are installations that have made her the biggest name in performance art, propelling her to fame, but also to be subjected to all sorts of responses from ridicule to adoration. 

Now in her seventies, she leaves the actual live performances to her young protégées who cast a spell on visitors exhibiting extraordinary feats, like standing naked in a doorway inviting visitors to squeeze between them, or lying nude with only a skeleton as cover. 

If it sounds pretty weird and bizarre, it is, but it is also testament to the bravado and freestyle thinking Abramovic has always adopted.  Ever since her first conceptual series Rhythm (1973), it’s impossible to overstate how progressive an artist she was and still is. 

This is one intense exhibition not to miss for such an experience may never be the same again. 

(No photos are allowed of live performances )

IN THE KNOW 

Delve into Abramovic’s world with numerous ‘happenings’ throughout the exhibition’s schedule, including a collaborative discussion with the ENO on 26th October outlining her forthcoming opera project, 7 Deaths of Maria Callas, to be staged at the ENO in November.