A woman is sitting on a chair. 7 hours a day. Almost 3 months.
What is this about?
The description is confusing. The simplicity stumps the spectator, and meanwhile arouses the curiosity what could be behind that simple concept.
1.565 persons sat in front of Marina Abramović, getting an impression of the spectacle, and much more persons even just watched the whole scenario. But what is it exactly that catches our intention, that brought so many journalists and the media in motion to speak and write about it? Is it simply our curiousness or is there something more deep and secret to be seen.
What is a body, even a body that is not moving, just sitting, possible to tell us? How is it transporting the things it want to say, or the mind behind the body intends to tell. And how can we understand the speech we are going to see?
„My work became through times more simple and thus more difficult. Three months keeping that mental status, face to face with the public, feels like opening your soul.“
Marina Abramović
Maybe it is that citation that sets an inkling of what is happening through this piece of performance. There is a human being, opening its soul in the middle of New York, a city with 8 million inhabitants, more than 20 different nations, 12 languages and a status that we can call multiethnic megacity, a symbol for a globalised world that opens its limits and seems to become one fast and continuous movement.
The following paper tries to analyse the performance piece The Artist is Present by Marina Abramović in context to our contemporary multicultural world, its forces and debilities, considering to contemporary aims and changes as the meaning of time, presence, humanity and the sense of human being in a complex system regarding the performance art history and intentions.
Table of Contents
1 Performance Art
1.1 Appearance and development
1.1.1 Performance and mass-media
1.1.2 Performance as a weapon
1.2 Performance – a definition
2 Marina Abramovic
2.1 Life
2.2 Work
3 The Artist is Present
3.1 Description
4 Contemporary multicultural world
4.1 Zeitgeist
4.1.1 Modern times
4.1.2 Capitalism and Marketing
4.1.3 Slow-movement
4.2 The meaning of presence
4.2.1 Phenomenon 2.0 and prominence
4.2.2 Performance and religion
4.2.3 Presence through meditation
4.3 Performance as a global movement
4.3.1 Life is performance, is show
4.3.2 Performance Art as a reality check
5 Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This academic paper examines Marina Abramović's performance piece "The Artist is Present" within the framework of our contemporary multicultural society. It explores how this work reflects modern challenges regarding time, presence, human connection, and the role of the body, while situating the performance within the broader history and evolution of performance art.
- The historical development and definition of performance art.
- The interplay between the "zeitgeist," capitalism, and the "slow-movement."
- The function of presence and meditation in contemporary artistic practice.
- The artist's use of the body as a medium for self-conquest and public reflection.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Description
“It is about pure presence. I am sitting at a small table, the opposite chair is free, everybody can take a seat and look into my eyes as long as he wants to – three minutes or three hours. There will be just that look. I won’t speak, I won’t move, I won’t even go on the toilet. My life will seem like a military-camp. I will have to get up every day at the same time, eat an exact amount of food, digest and then go to the museum, sit there for hours and the next day the game will start over. For three months I won’t speak during daytime and I won’t use my mobile or any computer. In the middle of New York I will be in conclave.”
All day, every day, from early March until the end of May, 2010, she will sit at a table in the museum's atrium, in what she describes as a ‘square of light’. Her objective is to achieve a luminous state of being and then transmit it - to create what she calls ‘an energy dialogue’ with the audience.”
Summary of Chapters
1 Performance Art: Provides a historical overview of performance art as an artistic medium and offers a definition of the practice, noting its roots in the 1960s and its role as a form of non-commodifiable art.
2 Marina Abramovic: Outlines the biography and artistic career of Marina Abramović, highlighting her breakthrough works and her evolution into a leading figure of performance art.
3 The Artist is Present: Describes the specific conceptual and physical framework of the MoMA performance, focusing on the artist's commitment to endurance and pure presence.
4 Contemporary multicultural world: Analyzes the cultural and societal "zeitgeist" of the modern era, examining concepts such as the "slow-movement," the meaning of presence in a digital age, and performance as a global movement.
5 Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, arguing that Abramović’s work acts as a mirror to modern neuroses and offers a path toward personal transformation through silence, endurance, and authentic human encounter.
Keywords
Marina Abramović, Performance Art, The Artist is Present, Zeitgeist, Slow-movement, Presence, Contemporary Art, MoMA, Human Body, Meditation, Transformation, Social Interaction, Modern Times, Authenticity, Endurance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this paper?
The paper focuses on the performance "The Artist is Present" by Marina Abramović at the MoMA and analyzes it in the context of contemporary multicultural society.
What are the primary themes explored?
Key themes include the impact of the modern "zeitgeist," the significance of time and presence, the commodification of life, and the role of performance art as a tool for personal and societal reflection.
What is the core research goal?
The goal is to understand how Abramović's endurance performance functions as a mirror for contemporary society's challenges regarding attention, human connection, and the loss of individual instincts.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The work utilizes a qualitative analysis, integrating art history, media theory, and philosophical perspectives, alongside primary interviews and documented statements from the artist.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The body covers the history of performance art, the biography of the artist, a detailed description of the MoMA performance, and a critical analysis of current cultural trends such as the "slow-movement" and the influence of technology.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Performance Art, Zeitgeist, Presence, Authenticity, Endurance, and Transformation.
How does the author define the "slow-movement" in art?
The author defines it as a counter-reaction to the rapid pace of modern life, where artists like Abramović intentionally slow down actions to focus on silence, endurance, and deep mental presence.
What role does pain play in Abramović's work according to the text?
The text explains that for Abramović, pain is not an end in itself, but a "door" to be opened—a tool for self-conquest and for mastering one's own fears and physical limitations.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Felicitas Aull (Autor:in), 2010, The performance of the artist Marina Abramović in the MoMA – Museum of Modern Art, N.Y. as a mirror of zeitgeist, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/170532
