On Beamafilm: Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present

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For a living artist to be accorded a retrospective in the Museum of Modern Art is a great honour – and a great challenge for the artist, who must assist in choosing which artworks best represent their careers. Abramovic decided to perform a new work for the occasion – “The Artist is Present”. For the three months for which the exhibition runs, Abramovic sat at a table in the centre of a gallery, allowing visitors to come and sit opposite her and exchange gazes. No movement, no talking – just the honesty and openness of looking at another human’s face. The challenges were tremendous, and the anticipation high – but when Abramovic performed her work, the reactions of her audience are extraordinary to behold. Directors Matthew Akers and Jeff Dupre trace the conception, preparation and performance of this extraordinary work in “Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present”, in addition to exploring her life and career to date. A central romance with another performance artist, Ulay, is a touching thread that runs throughout the film. Abramovic’s other main challenge for the exhibition, and the another focus of the film, was recreating some of her earlier performance works. She decided to gather a group of young performance artists to re-perform her most notable works. Many of her works include nudity, and long periods of complete stillness. As an artist, Abramovics’ works made her completely vulnerable to her audiences – a difficult experience emotionally and physically. We watch as she extensively trains her young artists in the methods they could use to remain calm and still for these extended periods of time. It is an extraordinary insight into the world of performance art. Abramovic’s experience performing “The Artist is Present” inspired her to found The Marina Abramovic Institute for long-durational performance art, in order for her to be able to pass on her experiences and techniques to the next generation of performance artists, and to encourage even wider appreciation of this art form. A Kickstarter campaign for the project that concluded in August exceeded their six hundred thousand dollar goal thanks to some high-profile support from celebrities Lady Gaga and Jay-Z. It’s clear that Abramovic’s impact will only continue to increase – and this documentary is the perfect introduction to her life and work. Watch 'Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present' on Beamafilm now!