Self proclaimed as the “grandmother of performance art,” Marina Abramović is one of the world’s most brilliant artists. Her long and groundbreaking career has involved works of body art, endurance art, and feminist art. She’s known for her experiments between performer and audience, and explorations into the effects of time and the capabilities of the human mind. One of her most famous works, “The Artist is Present,” was a 736 hour and 30 minute long silent piece in which she sat across from audience members, who took turns to sit opposite her. Attendees included Lou Reed, Alan Rickman and Björk. Marina has been a frequent collaborator with WePresent. In early 2021, she became a guest curator for us, and selected five rising performance artists from around the world to spotlight. Later that year, we partnered with Marina to launch “Traces,” a special work in which she chose five items to place in a time capsule. The objects – intended to convey something about her art and worldview to future generations – included Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” a quartz crystal, and a piece of stone from Mars. First presented as a digital experience on WePresent, this piece was transformed into a real life immersive experience at the Old Truman Brewery in London.
