Marina Abramovic

Marina Abramović is a Serbian performance artist known for her works that use her body both as subject and vehicle. Incorporating performance, sound, video, sculpture, and photography into her practice, Abramović often braves dangerous or gruelling situations to investigate sensation and its effects, often with audience participation. 

“The function of the artist in a disturbed society is to give awareness of the universe, to ask the right questions, and to elevate the mind,” she stated. Abramović met German performance artist Ulay while living in Amsterdam, the couple continued their collaboration until their separation in the late 1980s. 

She is part of a group of avant-garde artists including Vito Acconci and Chris Burden that experimented with using one’s body as a medium in the 1970s, Abramović pushed physical and mental boundaries to explore themes of emotional and spiritual transfiguration.