Marina Abramovic: Balkan Erotic Epic

Marina Abramovic’s exhibition is comprised of several video projections which explore how sexuality and the human body were employed in Balkan traditions and culture in previous centuries. Abramovic researched Serbian folklore and discovered many historic instances of the employment of eroticism and sexuality to address everyday issues. For example, if it rained too much the women of the village would run into the fields and lift their skirts in an attempt to scare the gods and end the rain. Along with amateur actors, Abramovic dressed in traditional folk costumes and reenacted ancient rituals. The videos while undeniably humorous, examine Balkan folklore and culture and the power of tradition and sexuality.

In January 2006, a monograph, Balkan Erotic Epic, will be published on the occasion of the exhibition Marina Abramovic: Balkan Epic for the Art for the World Project at Pirelli in Milan, Italy.

Marina Abramovic, born in 1946 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, is without question one of the seminal artists of our time. She was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Artist at the 1997 Venice Biennale for her extraordinary video installation/performance piece Balkan Baroque. Her work is included in many major public collections worldwide including: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; the Van AbbeMuseum, Eindhoven; Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; Kunstmuseum Bern. Recent solo exhibitions have included: Seven Easy Pieces, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; The Star, Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, Japan; Marina Abramovic: The Hero, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC; Marking the Territory, The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; The Hunt, Center for Contemporary Art Kitakyushu, Kitakyushu; Spirit Houses, Bourganeuf; Marina Abramovic, Fondazione Antonio Ratti, Como, and Public Body – Artist Body, Kunstverein Hannover. Abramovic has an important forthcoming retrospective in 2008 at the Kunst und Ausstellunghalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn.

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Marina Abramovic: Balkan Erotic Epic