Conceptual Art
Performance Art / Body Art
A description read:
MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ “There are 72 objects on the table that one
Serbia can use on me as desired.”
Born 1947- “I am the object. During this period I take
full responsibility.”
She took on a passive role, completely
giving up control, with the public being
the force that would act on her.
The spectators became collaborators,
rather than passive observers.
This work opened up a discussion about
the responsibility of the audience and
how they would use their power, when
there are no social consequences to their
actions.
72 Chosen Objects
Marina Abramović, Rhythm 0, 1947
Rhythm 0 was a six-hour work of
performance art by Marina Abramović.
The work involved Abramović standing still
while the audience was invited to do to her
whatever they desired, using any of the
72 objects she had placed on a table.
The performance that took place at
Some of the objects she put out could
Studio Morra, a gallery in Naples.
give pleasure, while others could cause
pain or harm. Among them were a rose, a
feather, honey, perfume, flute, spoon, a
whip, olive oil, scissors, a scalpel, salt,
medal, a gun and a single bullet.
For six hours the artist allowed the
audience members to manipulate her
body and actions.
1
,Many items could be used in a way that
was neutral, pleasurable, or at least not
harmful to the artist. By asking the
audience to actively engage in the work,
the performance piece questioned the
sense of responsibility of the viewers.
The work questions human behaviour and
our capacity for violence. It tested how far
people would push the boundaries when
given complete freedom, with no social
consequences. But then, “it became more and more wild”
as the public became increasingly
How far would people go when given a aggressive.
submissive subject?
o After three hours most of
Abramović’s clothes were cut off
Shocking with razor sharp blades.
o “Someone used a knife to cut her
neck and drink her blood.
o She was sexually assaulted during
the performance
o carried around half-naked
o put on a table
o and a knife was stabbed into the
wood of the table between her
legs.
Some male onlookers laughed during the
The performance “began tamely. Someone performance, and she just stood silently
turned her around. Another person thrust and cried. Others wiped her tears and
her arm into the air. They were gentle, tried to intervene.
placing a rose in her hand, kissing her and
feeding her cake. Someone else touched As the performance became increasingly
her somewhat intimately.” wild, a group who disapproved formed a
horrified collective. It wasn’t just
Abramović against the audience, but her
facing an audience who was now divided
into two factions.
o “When a loaded gun was thrust to
Marina’s head and her own finger
was being worked around the
trigger, a fight broke out between
the audience factions.”
2
, This artwork pushed boundaries and
provoked controversy as it was a
dangerous and potentially life-
threatening work. The nudity was
also shocking.
Accounts of the performance are all varied,
but the distinct moment someone pressed
the loaded gun to her head and forced her
fingers around the trigger remains an
undisputed detail. It was also the last straw
for the group, who couldn’t stomach the
obvious danger she was in, and they tried
to intervene. Whether it was that which
stopped the performance or the six hours
elapsing is still disputed.
By the end of the performance, her body
had been stripped, attacked, and
Aim of the work:
devalued into an image that Abramović
described as the "Madonna, mother, and Through accepting the risk to herself in
whore". this work, Abramović explored Man's
collective psyche and sense of
“It was 6 hours of real horror,” Abramović responsibility by giving the audience
said. complete control.
When the gallerists came and announced
that the performance was over, “I started
moving and started being myself, because
until then I was there like a puppet just for
them, and at that moment everybody ran
away. People could not confront me as a
person.”
The audience was horrified to remember
that they had been dealing with a human
being all along. They could not confront
the traces of torture they left on her body, The result of this experimentation was the
they could not face their own horrific artist standing holding a loaded gun to her
actions. As she walked towards them head with tears in her eyes. Her clothes
dripping with blood and tears, they all ran were ripped, and she had suffered injuries
from her. during the performance thus showing that
3
, 'humanity' has a collective dark side which turned completely white. Abramović said
is often ignored. that she still has scars from Rhythm 0 and
The performance highlighted societal that it was difficult to get rid of the feeling
concerns relating to authority and abuse, of fear for a long time.
as well as a lack of accountability on the
part of the public - who under the guise of Gender
art and performance, chose to cause harm
to another person. Feminine aspects
It leaves us with questions related to the
morality of society as a collective. Rhythm 0 draws attention to the
stereotype of women being objects of
desire that should remain passive and
Collective Mentality serve as submissive beings to men.
The dynamics of group psychology played The public’s actions was shocking - after
a role in the unfolding of this performance the few intimate advances it quickly grew
piece. Since the audience members acted into uncontrolled and harmful acts on the
as part of a collective, they were able to performer.
maintain an anonymous role inside the
group. The fact that the artist is a woman cannot
A group acting out their desires is more be overlooked. There is a strong power
dangerous than a situation where people dynamic which increases her
would have to face the artist alone. vulnerability. Within a patriarchal culture,
this gender component may enhance the
The individual is “not responsible “but the
power imbalance and rationalize the
group. This led to group members
extreme risks inflicted on the artist’s
encouraging each other to push the
body – as if it is accepted to exploit a
boundaries and experiment with the
woman.
objects on offer.
Abramović said she felt extremely
Abramović’s experience violated after the performance.
“There was a pistol with one bullet, so The performance also revealed what
basically if the audience wanted to put the passive, submissive women might really
bullet in the pistol they could kill me. And I be up against when they leave themselves
really wanted to take this risk, I wanted to in the hands of strangers with no
know what the public is about, and what boundaries.
they are going to do in this kind of
situation.” Rhythm 0 shows a female body being
objectified, violated, and sexualized, but
Abramović said: “What I learned was that… it has more to tell us about the violence of
if you leave it up to the audience, they can humans, group behavior, and our
kill you…I felt really violated.” responsibility to the lives of those around
us. It’s also about shame; seen by the fact
When Abramović went to her hotel room that the audience fled the scene once she
after the performance, she looked in the showed an ounce of personhood: An
mirror and saw that some of her hair had indication she was more than just a body.
4
Performance Art / Body Art
A description read:
MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ “There are 72 objects on the table that one
Serbia can use on me as desired.”
Born 1947- “I am the object. During this period I take
full responsibility.”
She took on a passive role, completely
giving up control, with the public being
the force that would act on her.
The spectators became collaborators,
rather than passive observers.
This work opened up a discussion about
the responsibility of the audience and
how they would use their power, when
there are no social consequences to their
actions.
72 Chosen Objects
Marina Abramović, Rhythm 0, 1947
Rhythm 0 was a six-hour work of
performance art by Marina Abramović.
The work involved Abramović standing still
while the audience was invited to do to her
whatever they desired, using any of the
72 objects she had placed on a table.
The performance that took place at
Some of the objects she put out could
Studio Morra, a gallery in Naples.
give pleasure, while others could cause
pain or harm. Among them were a rose, a
feather, honey, perfume, flute, spoon, a
whip, olive oil, scissors, a scalpel, salt,
medal, a gun and a single bullet.
For six hours the artist allowed the
audience members to manipulate her
body and actions.
1
,Many items could be used in a way that
was neutral, pleasurable, or at least not
harmful to the artist. By asking the
audience to actively engage in the work,
the performance piece questioned the
sense of responsibility of the viewers.
The work questions human behaviour and
our capacity for violence. It tested how far
people would push the boundaries when
given complete freedom, with no social
consequences. But then, “it became more and more wild”
as the public became increasingly
How far would people go when given a aggressive.
submissive subject?
o After three hours most of
Abramović’s clothes were cut off
Shocking with razor sharp blades.
o “Someone used a knife to cut her
neck and drink her blood.
o She was sexually assaulted during
the performance
o carried around half-naked
o put on a table
o and a knife was stabbed into the
wood of the table between her
legs.
Some male onlookers laughed during the
The performance “began tamely. Someone performance, and she just stood silently
turned her around. Another person thrust and cried. Others wiped her tears and
her arm into the air. They were gentle, tried to intervene.
placing a rose in her hand, kissing her and
feeding her cake. Someone else touched As the performance became increasingly
her somewhat intimately.” wild, a group who disapproved formed a
horrified collective. It wasn’t just
Abramović against the audience, but her
facing an audience who was now divided
into two factions.
o “When a loaded gun was thrust to
Marina’s head and her own finger
was being worked around the
trigger, a fight broke out between
the audience factions.”
2
, This artwork pushed boundaries and
provoked controversy as it was a
dangerous and potentially life-
threatening work. The nudity was
also shocking.
Accounts of the performance are all varied,
but the distinct moment someone pressed
the loaded gun to her head and forced her
fingers around the trigger remains an
undisputed detail. It was also the last straw
for the group, who couldn’t stomach the
obvious danger she was in, and they tried
to intervene. Whether it was that which
stopped the performance or the six hours
elapsing is still disputed.
By the end of the performance, her body
had been stripped, attacked, and
Aim of the work:
devalued into an image that Abramović
described as the "Madonna, mother, and Through accepting the risk to herself in
whore". this work, Abramović explored Man's
collective psyche and sense of
“It was 6 hours of real horror,” Abramović responsibility by giving the audience
said. complete control.
When the gallerists came and announced
that the performance was over, “I started
moving and started being myself, because
until then I was there like a puppet just for
them, and at that moment everybody ran
away. People could not confront me as a
person.”
The audience was horrified to remember
that they had been dealing with a human
being all along. They could not confront
the traces of torture they left on her body, The result of this experimentation was the
they could not face their own horrific artist standing holding a loaded gun to her
actions. As she walked towards them head with tears in her eyes. Her clothes
dripping with blood and tears, they all ran were ripped, and she had suffered injuries
from her. during the performance thus showing that
3
, 'humanity' has a collective dark side which turned completely white. Abramović said
is often ignored. that she still has scars from Rhythm 0 and
The performance highlighted societal that it was difficult to get rid of the feeling
concerns relating to authority and abuse, of fear for a long time.
as well as a lack of accountability on the
part of the public - who under the guise of Gender
art and performance, chose to cause harm
to another person. Feminine aspects
It leaves us with questions related to the
morality of society as a collective. Rhythm 0 draws attention to the
stereotype of women being objects of
desire that should remain passive and
Collective Mentality serve as submissive beings to men.
The dynamics of group psychology played The public’s actions was shocking - after
a role in the unfolding of this performance the few intimate advances it quickly grew
piece. Since the audience members acted into uncontrolled and harmful acts on the
as part of a collective, they were able to performer.
maintain an anonymous role inside the
group. The fact that the artist is a woman cannot
A group acting out their desires is more be overlooked. There is a strong power
dangerous than a situation where people dynamic which increases her
would have to face the artist alone. vulnerability. Within a patriarchal culture,
this gender component may enhance the
The individual is “not responsible “but the
power imbalance and rationalize the
group. This led to group members
extreme risks inflicted on the artist’s
encouraging each other to push the
body – as if it is accepted to exploit a
boundaries and experiment with the
woman.
objects on offer.
Abramović said she felt extremely
Abramović’s experience violated after the performance.
“There was a pistol with one bullet, so The performance also revealed what
basically if the audience wanted to put the passive, submissive women might really
bullet in the pistol they could kill me. And I be up against when they leave themselves
really wanted to take this risk, I wanted to in the hands of strangers with no
know what the public is about, and what boundaries.
they are going to do in this kind of
situation.” Rhythm 0 shows a female body being
objectified, violated, and sexualized, but
Abramović said: “What I learned was that… it has more to tell us about the violence of
if you leave it up to the audience, they can humans, group behavior, and our
kill you…I felt really violated.” responsibility to the lives of those around
us. It’s also about shame; seen by the fact
When Abramović went to her hotel room that the audience fled the scene once she
after the performance, she looked in the showed an ounce of personhood: An
mirror and saw that some of her hair had indication she was more than just a body.
4
