Sunday, August 29, 2010

Publicity Stunt. Marina Abramovic's Rhythm O (1974)

One of my favorite performance art pieces, Rhythm O, by New-York based Serbian artist Marina Abramovic takes the term of "publicity stunt" to a whole other level.






In 1974 the fearless (the most perfect adjective to describe Ms. Abramovic) artist decided to put her fate in the hands of museum-goers. She had laid out 72 various items, which included a whip, scissors, a knife, and a gun along with one single bullet, onto a table with a sign that informed the public of the fact that there would be no consequences to their actions. For six hours the artist remained impassive during this truly impassioned work of art. During those six hours, the humanity of the on-lookers turned from cautious and modest to volatile and aggressive. She encountered rose thorns being thrust into her side, her clothes being cut, a rape attempt, and even someone raising the gun to her head. After those six hours, the artist calmly rose and started walking towards the spectators. They all ran like a flock of scared sheep.

A true testament to the depth of carnal humanity, Marina Abramovic showed the world what, with left with no consequence to an action, could be boiling under the surface of modesty and lawfulness.

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