In "Walk Through Walls," renowned performance artist Marina Abramović invites readers into her extraordinary world, where art blurs the lines between physical endurance and emotional exposure. Through gripping anecdotes, she unveils the deeply personal struggles and triumphs that shaped her groundbreaking career. As she explores the interplay of life, love, and art, readers are drawn into her mystique and tenacity. Each page challenges conventions, encouraging us to rethink our perceptions of creativity and vulnerability. Will you dare to walk through the walls she has bravely dismantled?
By Marina Abramovic
Published: 2016
"The only way to walk through walls is to first understand what they are made of."
“I had experienced absolute freedom—I had felt that my body was without boundaries, limitless; that pain didn’t matter, that nothing mattered at all—and it intoxicated me.” In 2010, more than 750,000 people stood in line at Marina Abramović’s MoMA retrospective for the chance to sit across from her and communicate with her nonverbally in an unprecedented durational performance that lasted more than 700 hours. This celebration of nearly fifty years of groundbreaking performance art demonstrated once again that Marina Abramović is truly a force of nature. The child of Communist war-hero parents under Tito’s regime in postwar Yugoslavia, she was raised with a relentless work ethic. Even as she was beginning to build an international artistic career, Marina lived at home under her mother’s abusive control, strictly obeying a 10 p.m. curfew. But nothing could quell her insatiable curiosity, her desire to connect with people, or her distinctly Balkan sense of humor—all of which informs her art and her life. The beating heart of Walk Through Walls is an operatic love story—a twelve-year collaboration with fellow performance artist Ulay, much of which was spent penniless in a van traveling across Europe—a relationship that began to unravel and came to a dramatic end atop the Great Wall of China. Marina’s story, by turns moving, epic, and dryly funny, informs an incomparable artistic career that involves pushing her body past the limits of fear, pain, exhaustion, and danger in an uncompromising quest for emotional and spiritual transformation. A remarkable work of performance in its own right, Walk Through Walls is a vivid and powerful rendering of the unparalleled life of an extraordinary artist.
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“The only way to walk through walls is to first understand what they are made of.”
Walk Through Walls
By Marina Abramovic
Discover a world of knowledge through our extensive collection of book summaries.
Marina Abramovic is a renowned performance artist, writer, and filmmaker, celebrated for her pioneering work in the field of performance art. Born on November 30, 1946, in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Abramovic has challenged the boundaries of art through her immersive and often provocative performances. Notable works include 'The Artist is Present,' where she engaged in a silent exchange with museum visitors, and 'Rhythms,' a series that explores the relationship between the artist and the audience over time. Her writing reflects her innovative spirit, combining elements of autobiography, art theory, and personal reflection. Abramovic’s distinctive style emphasizes the physical and emotional connection between artist and viewer, often pushing the limits of endurance and vulnerability.
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