Marina Abramovic The Artist Is Present at The MOMA

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Marina Abramović has made her bed. The Museum of Modern Art is currently showing her retrospective, an outstanding display of
performances, past and present. The Artist is Present demonstrates Abramović's artistic commitment spanning over four decades. Her
presence is an important element in the retrospective, but the strength of the exhibition is really about the relationship of each work with the
others.

Each piece is a poignant essay on the relationship of time and presence in space. Over time, looking into Abramović's eyes across table
becomes an act of eyes piercing through the thick air hovering in the space between. Brushing against the unclothed bodies of strangers
becomes a quick act of necessity when they are perched in a doorway. A lovers' break-up becomes a deliberate division when it happens
over the length of the Great Wall. Ladders with knife blades for rungs would only be a possibility if the action would be fleeting.

Marina Abramović's work is a bed of nails, a space where physics firkytoodles with alchemy. Abramović is present and has invited viewers to
participate. Many people have sat with her, including the man in the photo who has appeared acrss from Abramović on so many days. No
one seems to know who he used to be, but he has now become the man who frequently sits with Abramović.

Watch live video feed of the performance here: http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2010/marinaabramovic/

Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present

March 14–May 31, 2010
Images courtesy of Marina Abramović and Sean Kelly Gallery/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Filmed by The People's DP, Inc.
DP - Edward Roy
Audio - Nick Poholchuck
© 2010 The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Marina Abramovic
The Artist Is Present at The MOMA
By Rachel Smith Althof

Rachel Smith Althof

rachelsmithalthof@gmail.com
http://rsablog.wordpress.com/