Marina Abramović is a renowned artist that specializes in performance art over three decades because of her daring, thrilling and inspiring performances.
Before reviewing the artwork that I have chosen, it is important to know more about her early life because there is a strong relationship between her background and meaning of those performances. And I found Abramović and her younger brother were controlled in a complete military way by mother, for example, she was requested to go back home before ten o'clock at night until she was twenty nine years old. The strict rules did not limit her mind although they worked physically. The oppressed live made her become an artistic vanguard in the Nineteen Seventies. And I will give more details during the presentation.
When I chose which work is going to be my artist review, I found that Rhythm Series which aims at exploring the limitation of the human body and the possibility of remaining conscious mind impressed me. Before Rhythm 0, the most controversial one, was performed, Rhythm 10 was also a clear illustration to show how dare Abramović was. People including me will have a strong desire to know more or watch live performance directly after seeing the below pictures.
Twenty knives and two tape recorders were the only things in this physical damaging performance. Her hand was splayed open on a table and she picked a knife to stab the space between fingers rapidly until she hurt, then she used the other knife to play this Russian game again and the whole process was recorded. After twenty knives had been used up, she played the tape, tried to repeat the same movement and synchronized even the moment she hurt. The stabbing sounds and screeches were performed to the audiences doubly. But you may wonder why I need to spend time on describing Rhythm 10 instead of simply talking about my feelings to the Rhythm 0.
Because I think Abramović 's works, not only the Rhythm Series, but also the Works With Ulay who had been her partner and important person for more than twelve years, have their own goals to explore. I am not sure whether my guess is true or not, but I believe there must be some co-relation between Rhythm 10 and 0. To me, Rhythm 10 represents the physical and mental torture made by herself under consciousness. At the same time, Rhythm 0 is similar, but the only difference is Abramović's pain and fear are caused by other people. Again, I will further explain during my presentation.
Rhythm 0 is an experiment to test the relationship between artist and participants. Indeed, it is the most dangerous one because Abramović tried to let herself be an object and allow the audiences to do whatever they want in the following six hours. Seventy-two objects were placed on a table and they included a rose, a feather, honey, a whip, scissors, a scalpel, a gun and a single bullet. Each people can use these things to manipulate Abramović. Rhythm 0 is an experiment to test the relationship between artist and participants. Indeed, it is the most dangerous one because Abramović tried to let herself be an object and allow the audiences to do whatever they want in the following six hours. Seventy-two objects were placed on a table and they included a rose, a feather, honey, a whip, scissors, a scalpel, a gun and a single bullet. Each people can use these things to manipulate Abramović's body.
“I felt really violated: they cut up my clothes, stuck rose thorns in my stomach, one person aimed the gun at my head, and another took it away." As recalled by Abramović, the result was incredibly terrible. At first, participants behaved cautiously until longer time passed. And...“What I learned was that... if you leave it up to the audience, they can kill you.”To me, the performance reveals the human nature and I recall the Stanford prison experiment which states that when a people is empowered with authority, he/she certainly becomes autocratic and aggressive to those without power. Similarly, Abramović signed an agreement that all people did not bear any obligation. Therefore this might be one of the reasons that law exists.
