Marina Abramović: Live at MoMA

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12 min

18 min

19 min

164 min

From March 14 to May 31, 2010, the Museum of Modern Art held a major retrospective and performance recreation of Abramović's work, the biggest exhibition of performance art in MoMA's history. During the run of the exhibition, Abramović performed "The Artist is Present," a 736-hour and 30-minute static, silent piece, in which she sat immobile in the museum's atrium, while spectators were invited to take turns sitting opposite her. A support group for the "sitters", "Sitting with Marina", was established on Facebook as was the blog "Marina Abramović made me cry". 

I decided that I want to have a work that connects me more with the public, that concentrates … on the interaction between me and the audience.

I want to have a simple table, installed in the center of the atrium, with two chairs on the sides. I will sit on one chair and a square of light from the ceiling will separate me from the public.

Anyone will be free to sit on the other side of the table, on the second chair, staying as long as he/she wants, being fully and uniquely part of the Performance.

I think this work [will] draw a line of continuity in my career. (Marina Abramović: 2010)

I found out that visitors who sit with Marina must remain quiet and do nothing. When people have tried to do anything they were asked to leave (escorted out) by the guards. I have no idea the visitors who sit with her think much more. In the course of daily life, most people don’t lock eyes, expressionless, for long periods of time.  Abramović seemed like she was losing her presence, or totally looking into the visitor, or just focusing in general, or kind of communicating in how they were breathing, or other tiny things. 
I actually image more like a kind of film set. There is a huge square of light. And just that square, like lost in translation, in some way. It's so simple, it's like nothing there. It's just artist sitting like mountain. Looking you in the eyes. People don't understand that the hardest thing is to actually do something which is close to nothing. There is no story, any more to tell. There is no objects to hide behind. There is nothing! It's just your pure presence. You need to rely on your own energy and nothing else.