Marina Abramović #IntheStudio
Marina Abramović speaks to us from her temporary studio in Munich, where she is rehearsing "7 Deaths of Maria Callas" at the Bavarian State Opera.
Marina Abramović is a pioneer in the use of performance as a visual art form. The body has been both her subject and medium. Exploring the physical and mental limits of her being, she has withstood pain, exhaustion, and danger in the quest for emotional and spiritual transformation and the resulting heightened consciousness generated by long durational performances. Over the course of her career, Abramović has developed techniques that incorporate exercises that focus on breath, motion, stillness, and concentration which allow her to reach an altered state of consciousness to transcend what others might consider to be their ultimate physical and mental limits.
Addressing how one reaches a state of transcendence, she has said, “The mind is a huge enemy because, every time you try to do something out of your comfort zone, it will make you not do it. But we all have this extra energy in our body. We might use it when we’re in extreme situations, trapped or in a plane crash or a fire, and we’re able to run out. But we don’t need to wait for this drama."