POST BY PADDY JOHNSON
Marina Abramovic sitting during her performance The Artist Is Present
An observation on MoMA’s website dedicated to the Marina Abramovic exhibition, which closed yesterday: The artist has the entire 6th floor dedicated to her work and, but for a couple interviews about her early performances, none of it’s on the site. There are however prominent links to the sitter portrait flickr feed as well as the live webcam to her performance on the second floor The Artist is Present. That sure creates a focus. Now, no one could have predicted the number of tearing sitters and adoring fans that showed up at the Museum or the numerous memeing websites, but I’m really not a fan of the “it’s all part of the work” rationalization for Abramovic’s epic media circus when the institution’s marketing strategies have so clearly played a role in what this work became. Plus, the turn of phrase is the classic art catch-all often used to make art seem more important or encompassing than it really is. The Artist is Present may be as significant as its press, but we’re not going to know for certain until after the hype has subsided. This means revisiting this topic in say, December 2011. Consider this date slated.
UPDATE: A point of clarification: This post isn’t to suggest that Marina herself didn’t have a role in the theatricality of the work, but rather that there was a structure in place to capitalize on this. I mean, what are the chances Marina said to MoMA: I think we should create a flickr account of my sitters. Also, let’s send that link to Kottke — I’m speculating here, but you get the drift.
{ 63 comments }
yes and no.
It obviously became a thing, the kind that gets included in New Yorker cartoons–and discussed at length by Regis Philbin. It happens or it doesn’t. MoMA certainly didn’t pitch it to Regis and then deny him permission to film.
But that scene at the end yesterday, was pure theater. i.e., it was staged. Four HD cameras and two boom mikes converged on Marina as she worked the rope line.
She could have chosen to end it like every day, by sitting in the chair until the museum closed and the atrium was cleared. But she didn’t.
yes and no.
It obviously became a thing, the kind that gets included in New Yorker cartoons–and discussed at length by Regis Philbin. It happens or it doesn’t. MoMA certainly didn’t pitch it to Regis and then deny him permission to film.
But that scene at the end yesterday, was pure theater. i.e., it was staged. Four HD cameras and two boom mikes converged on Marina as she worked the rope line.
She could have chosen to end it like every day, by sitting in the chair until the museum closed and the atrium was cleared. But she didn’t.
and then a shout from the crowd:
“Marina, what are you going to do now?”
“i’m going to Disney World!”
and then a shout from the crowd:
“Marina, what are you going to do now?”
“i’m going to Disney World!”
and then a shout from the crowd:
“Marina, what are you going to do now?”
“i’m going to Disney World!”
Two things:
IMHO
1. You’re not giving her much credit if you don’t think she was in some way in control or at least in cahoots with the media spectacle.
2. Creating an aura around her was definitely part of the work. The amount of space (lots), big kleig lamps with reflectors, the line, etc all were used to create an exclusivity around her presence. So many other choices could have been made: no space around her (or at least very little), she could have been in a room where only one person was allowed in at a time (or at least just a few visitors roped off), etc, etc. It was all about the aura, the stage. It naturally led to the spectacle.
Two things:
IMHO
1. You’re not giving her much credit if you don’t think she was in some way in control or at least in cahoots with the media spectacle.
2. Creating an aura around her was definitely part of the work. The amount of space (lots), big kleig lamps with reflectors, the line, etc all were used to create an exclusivity around her presence. So many other choices could have been made: no space around her (or at least very little), she could have been in a room where only one person was allowed in at a time (or at least just a few visitors roped off), etc, etc. It was all about the aura, the stage. It naturally led to the spectacle.
Two things:
IMHO
1. You’re not giving her much credit if you don’t think she was in some way in control or at least in cahoots with the media spectacle.
2. Creating an aura around her was definitely part of the work. The amount of space (lots), big kleig lamps with reflectors, the line, etc all were used to create an exclusivity around her presence. So many other choices could have been made: no space around her (or at least very little), she could have been in a room where only one person was allowed in at a time (or at least just a few visitors roped off), etc, etc. It was all about the aura, the stage. It naturally led to the spectacle.
Two things:
IMHO
1. You’re not giving her much credit if you don’t think she was in some way in control or at least in cahoots with the media spectacle.
2. Creating an aura around her was definitely part of the work. The amount of space (lots), big kleig lamps with reflectors, the line, etc all were used to create an exclusivity around her presence. So many other choices could have been made: no space around her (or at least very little), she could have been in a room where only one person was allowed in at a time (or at least just a few visitors roped off), etc, etc. It was all about the aura, the stage. It naturally led to the spectacle.
Get over it, there’s nothing wrong with a plug. Artists were only starved 200 years ago and only do today because they haven’t been ‘discovered’. Are you trying to stop art being for the masses. Maybe a big thing should not have been made of it, so that only the elite could appreciate.
Get over it, there’s nothing wrong with a plug. Artists were only starved 200 years ago and only do today because they haven’t been ‘discovered’. Are you trying to stop art being for the masses. Maybe a big thing should not have been made of it, so that only the elite could appreciate.
I wrote this back in April to a friend on Facebook who had just sat with Abramovic:
I dunno… seeing floods of people having the same earnest, intense experience seems a bit disingenuous to me. Most people keep talking about how they had this profound personal spiritual awakening, instead of addressing the objective factors that may be contributing to their quite similar reactions: staring at a woman who is clearly in a state of utter & extraordinary physical/mental exhaustion,staring at a famous (legendary?) artist, being watched doing all this by other museum-goers (not to mention webcams, security guards, etc.)… I think that the sheer theatricality of the space/performance/event is having more of a visceral impact on people–in almost precisely the same way–than the kind of new-agey inner transformation that people keep talking about. Of course your personal experience is valid, but it’s just curious to me that no one’s really talking about the other glaring factors that are probably contributing greatly to their experience. Instead, we’re getting a bunch of people posting those close-cropped headshots of themselves, all relating varieties of the same profound, “intimate” personal experience.
I wrote this back in April to a friend on Facebook who had just sat with Abramovic:
I dunno… seeing floods of people having the same earnest, intense experience seems a bit disingenuous to me. Most people keep talking about how they had this profound personal spiritual awakening, instead of addressing the objective factors that may be contributing to their quite similar reactions: staring at a woman who is clearly in a state of utter & extraordinary physical/mental exhaustion,staring at a famous (legendary?) artist, being watched doing all this by other museum-goers (not to mention webcams, security guards, etc.)… I think that the sheer theatricality of the space/performance/event is having more of a visceral impact on people–in almost precisely the same way–than the kind of new-agey inner transformation that people keep talking about. Of course your personal experience is valid, but it’s just curious to me that no one’s really talking about the other glaring factors that are probably contributing greatly to their experience. Instead, we’re getting a bunch of people posting those close-cropped headshots of themselves, all relating varieties of the same profound, “intimate” personal experience.
I wrote this back in April to a friend on Facebook who had just sat with Abramovic:
I dunno… seeing floods of people having the same earnest, intense experience seems a bit disingenuous to me. Most people keep talking about how they had this profound personal spiritual awakening, instead of addressing the objective factors that may be contributing to their quite similar reactions: staring at a woman who is clearly in a state of utter & extraordinary physical/mental exhaustion,staring at a famous (legendary?) artist, being watched doing all this by other museum-goers (not to mention webcams, security guards, etc.)… I think that the sheer theatricality of the space/performance/event is having more of a visceral impact on people–in almost precisely the same way–than the kind of new-agey inner transformation that people keep talking about. Of course your personal experience is valid, but it’s just curious to me that no one’s really talking about the other glaring factors that are probably contributing greatly to their experience. Instead, we’re getting a bunch of people posting those close-cropped headshots of themselves, all relating varieties of the same profound, “intimate” personal experience.
I wrote this back in April to a friend on Facebook who had just sat with Abramovic:
I dunno… seeing floods of people having the same earnest, intense experience seems a bit disingenuous to me. Most people keep talking about how they had this profound personal spiritual awakening, instead of addressing the objective factors that may be contributing to their quite similar reactions: staring at a woman who is clearly in a state of utter & extraordinary physical/mental exhaustion,staring at a famous (legendary?) artist, being watched doing all this by other museum-goers (not to mention webcams, security guards, etc.)… I think that the sheer theatricality of the space/performance/event is having more of a visceral impact on people–in almost precisely the same way–than the kind of new-agey inner transformation that people keep talking about. Of course your personal experience is valid, but it’s just curious to me that no one’s really talking about the other glaring factors that are probably contributing greatly to their experience. Instead, we’re getting a bunch of people posting those close-cropped headshots of themselves, all relating varieties of the same profound, “intimate” personal experience.
I wrote this back in April to a friend on Facebook who had just sat with Abramovic:
I dunno… seeing floods of people having the same earnest, intense experience seems a bit disingenuous to me. Most people keep talking about how they had this profound personal spiritual awakening, instead of addressing the objective factors that may be contributing to their quite similar reactions: staring at a woman who is clearly in a state of utter & extraordinary physical/mental exhaustion,staring at a famous (legendary?) artist, being watched doing all this by other museum-goers (not to mention webcams, security guards, etc.)… I think that the sheer theatricality of the space/performance/event is having more of a visceral impact on people–in almost precisely the same way–than the kind of new-agey inner transformation that people keep talking about. Of course your personal experience is valid, but it’s just curious to me that no one’s really talking about the other glaring factors that are probably contributing greatly to their experience. Instead, we’re getting a bunch of people posting those close-cropped headshots of themselves, all relating varieties of the same profound, “intimate” personal experience.
@t.whid: I updated the post with a point of clarification. I don’t mean to say that she hasn’t played a role, only that giant media events like this don’t come out of no where.
Also, there’s an entire floor of her work that’s seen basically no coverage at all, and there’s nothing on the website to encourage that. That bothers me. There’s a history to her work, and there’s very little to illuminate what that is.
@t.whid: I updated the post with a point of clarification. I don’t mean to say that she hasn’t played a role, only that giant media events like this don’t come out of no where.
Also, there’s an entire floor of her work that’s seen basically no coverage at all, and there’s nothing on the website to encourage that. That bothers me. There’s a history to her work, and there’s very little to illuminate what that is.
@t.whid: I updated the post with a point of clarification. I don’t mean to say that she hasn’t played a role, only that giant media events like this don’t come out of no where.
Also, there’s an entire floor of her work that’s seen basically no coverage at all, and there’s nothing on the website to encourage that. That bothers me. There’s a history to her work, and there’s very little to illuminate what that is.
@t.whid: I updated the post with a point of clarification. I don’t mean to say that she hasn’t played a role, only that giant media events like this don’t come out of no where.
Also, there’s an entire floor of her work that’s seen basically no coverage at all, and there’s nothing on the website to encourage that. That bothers me. There’s a history to her work, and there’s very little to illuminate what that is.
Jesse P. Martin: “Instead, we’re getting a bunch of people posting those close-cropped headshots of themselves, all relating varieties of the same profound, “intimate†personal experience.”
YES.
Jesse P. Martin: “Instead, we’re getting a bunch of people posting those close-cropped headshots of themselves, all relating varieties of the same profound, “intimate†personal experience.”
YES.
Jeanette Hayes of dump.fm had what I believe to be the definitive Abramovic encounter: http://dump.fm/images/20100528/1275074542036-dumpfm-thekraken-untitledjnetmeme.JPG
Jeanette Hayes of dump.fm had what I believe to be the definitive Abramovic encounter: http://dump.fm/images/20100528/1275074542036-dumpfm-thekraken-untitledjnetmeme.JPG
Jeanette Hayes of dump.fm had what I believe to be the definitive Abramovic encounter: http://dump.fm/images/20100528/1275074542036-dumpfm-thekraken-untitledjnetmeme.JPG
Jeanette Hayes of dump.fm had what I believe to be the definitive Abramovic encounter: http://dump.fm/images/20100528/1275074542036-dumpfm-thekraken-untitledjnetmeme.JPG
I think it actually IS all part of the work. (Regardless of whether Marina directed every detail or it was executed by her team)
Performance is just as much about the audience and their reaction as it is about the performer and what’s happening on stage.
and why do you doubt that Marina was not involved in many or all of the strategies used to “document” and publicize the show (even though she may not have set the specific tactics). On what basis can you assume she doesn’t understand how the world is using the internet for “documentation” and how people view and talk about her performances. From what I know about performance art, “documentation” is critical to their practice.
I do agree that the work upstairs got a little overshadowed by the main event, and that’s unfortunate, but I would bet many more people saw the exhibit directly as a result of the buzz created downstairs.
I think it actually IS all part of the work. (Regardless of whether Marina directed every detail or it was executed by her team)
Performance is just as much about the audience and their reaction as it is about the performer and what’s happening on stage.
and why do you doubt that Marina was not involved in many or all of the strategies used to “document” and publicize the show (even though she may not have set the specific tactics). On what basis can you assume she doesn’t understand how the world is using the internet for “documentation” and how people view and talk about her performances. From what I know about performance art, “documentation” is critical to their practice.
I do agree that the work upstairs got a little overshadowed by the main event, and that’s unfortunate, but I would bet many more people saw the exhibit directly as a result of the buzz created downstairs.
I think it actually IS all part of the work. (Regardless of whether Marina directed every detail or it was executed by her team)
Performance is just as much about the audience and their reaction as it is about the performer and what’s happening on stage.
and why do you doubt that Marina was not involved in many or all of the strategies used to “document” and publicize the show (even though she may not have set the specific tactics). On what basis can you assume she doesn’t understand how the world is using the internet for “documentation” and how people view and talk about her performances. From what I know about performance art, “documentation” is critical to their practice.
I do agree that the work upstairs got a little overshadowed by the main event, and that’s unfortunate, but I would bet many more people saw the exhibit directly as a result of the buzz created downstairs.
I think it actually IS all part of the work. (Regardless of whether Marina directed every detail or it was executed by her team)
Performance is just as much about the audience and their reaction as it is about the performer and what’s happening on stage.
and why do you doubt that Marina was not involved in many or all of the strategies used to “document” and publicize the show (even though she may not have set the specific tactics). On what basis can you assume she doesn’t understand how the world is using the internet for “documentation” and how people view and talk about her performances. From what I know about performance art, “documentation” is critical to their practice.
I do agree that the work upstairs got a little overshadowed by the main event, and that’s unfortunate, but I would bet many more people saw the exhibit directly as a result of the buzz created downstairs.
I think it actually IS all part of the work. (Regardless of whether Marina directed every detail or it was executed by her team)
Performance is just as much about the audience and their reaction as it is about the performer and what’s happening on stage.
and why do you doubt that Marina was not involved in many or all of the strategies used to “document” and publicize the show (even though she may not have set the specific tactics). On what basis can you assume she doesn’t understand how the world is using the internet for “documentation” and how people view and talk about her performances. From what I know about performance art, “documentation” is critical to their practice.
I do agree that the work upstairs got a little overshadowed by the main event, and that’s unfortunate, but I would bet many more people saw the exhibit directly as a result of the buzz created downstairs.
I'm so glad this thing is over. The mere fact of knowing that it was open felt like an endurance performance to me.
I'm so glad this thing is over. The mere fact of knowing that it was open felt like an endurance performance to me.
Paddy, I forgot you posted a Hayes-Abramovic image ( http://paddyjohnson.tumblr.com/post/648261194/justshutty ). I should add that the version above was made by The Kraken (as in “release the…” http://nickholmes.tumblr.com/post/541228012/kraken ).
Paddy, I forgot you posted a Hayes-Abramovic image ( http://paddyjohnson.tumblr.com/post/648261194/justshutty ). I should add that the version above was made by The Kraken (as in “release the…” http://nickholmes.tumblr.com/post/541228012/kraken ).
Paddy, I forgot you posted a Hayes-Abramovic image ( http://paddyjohnson.tumblr.com/post/648261194/justshutty ). I should add that the version above was made by The Kraken (as in “release the…” http://nickholmes.tumblr.com/post/541228012/kraken ).
Paddy, I forgot you posted a Hayes-Abramovic image ( http://paddyjohnson.tumblr.com/post/648261194/justshutty ). I should add that the version above was made by The Kraken (as in “release the…” http://nickholmes.tumblr.com/post/541228012/kraken ).
I’m so glad that this is over. The mere fact of knowing that it was open felt like I was in an endurance performance.
I’m so glad that this is over. The mere fact of knowing that it was open felt like I was in an endurance performance.
I’m so glad that this is over. The mere fact of knowing that it was open felt like I was in an endurance performance.
Has anyone written about Marina’s chosen garb? It looks like a cross between Neo’s wardrobe from the Matrix a whirling dervish costume.
Has anyone written about Marina’s chosen garb? It looks like a cross between Neo’s wardrobe from the Matrix a whirling dervish costume.
Has anyone written about Marina’s chosen garb? It looks like a cross between Neo’s wardrobe from the Matrix a whirling dervish costume.
Has anyone written about Marina’s chosen garb? It looks like a cross between Neo’s wardrobe from the Matrix a whirling dervish costume.
“that has basically seen no coverage at all”
that’s a bit ridiculous.
“that has basically seen no coverage at all”
that’s a bit ridiculous.
“that has basically seen no coverage at all”
that’s a bit ridiculous.
To say that the actual retrospective part of the show has gotten no coverage seems drastically overstated. While the mainstream press/blogosphere has focused primarily upon the live performance, the art press/art critics in major publications have thoroughly reviewed the show as a whole, and considerable attention has been paid to the reperformances. It should come as no surprise that the majority of the public are more interested in the spectacle of an artist sitting in the middle of a museum inviting anyone to participate; I think one thing that a lot of art people tend to forget (myself included) is that Marina wasn’t exactly a household name before the show, despite her stature in the art world. Many of the publications/blogs/etc. that wrote about Marina’s performance don’t have any sort of regular art coverage and probably wouldn’t have written about the exhibition otherwise — they were attracted to it because it was unusual, not because they thought their audience was particularly interested in the history of performance. Just because the day to day noise about the performance was “louder” than the more comprehensive reviews of the show as a whole doesn’t mean that it was avoided entirely.
To say that the actual retrospective part of the show has gotten no coverage seems drastically overstated. While the mainstream press/blogosphere has focused primarily upon the live performance, the art press/art critics in major publications have thoroughly reviewed the show as a whole, and considerable attention has been paid to the reperformances. It should come as no surprise that the majority of the public are more interested in the spectacle of an artist sitting in the middle of a museum inviting anyone to participate; I think one thing that a lot of art people tend to forget (myself included) is that Marina wasn’t exactly a household name before the show, despite her stature in the art world. Many of the publications/blogs/etc. that wrote about Marina’s performance don’t have any sort of regular art coverage and probably wouldn’t have written about the exhibition otherwise — they were attracted to it because it was unusual, not because they thought their audience was particularly interested in the history of performance. Just because the day to day noise about the performance was “louder” than the more comprehensive reviews of the show as a whole doesn’t mean that it was avoided entirely.
To say that the actual retrospective part of the show has gotten no coverage seems drastically overstated. While the mainstream press/blogosphere has focused primarily upon the live performance, the art press/art critics in major publications have thoroughly reviewed the show as a whole, and considerable attention has been paid to the reperformances. It should come as no surprise that the majority of the public are more interested in the spectacle of an artist sitting in the middle of a museum inviting anyone to participate; I think one thing that a lot of art people tend to forget (myself included) is that Marina wasn’t exactly a household name before the show, despite her stature in the art world. Many of the publications/blogs/etc. that wrote about Marina’s performance don’t have any sort of regular art coverage and probably wouldn’t have written about the exhibition otherwise — they were attracted to it because it was unusual, not because they thought their audience was particularly interested in the history of performance. Just because the day to day noise about the performance was “louder” than the more comprehensive reviews of the show as a whole doesn’t mean that it was avoided entirely.
Karen Archey: Internet consensus is that it is a “snuggie.”
Karen Archey: Internet consensus is that it is a “snuggie.”
to deny that the performance had a profound effect in the present, regardless of hype, is silly
as far as the hype goes, we are living in a time when people tweet about every cup of coffee they drink, part of the lesson in all this just might be that it’s time we start developing some serious filtering skills.
and it is also absurd to argue whether the end justifies the means, will this be an overnight sensation or was the (over)exposure simply a necessary jump start for a work that will eventually be considered seminal?
only time will tell
thank you, please do revisit in 6 months.
to deny that the performance had a profound effect in the present, regardless of hype, is silly
as far as the hype goes, we are living in a time when people tweet about every cup of coffee they drink, part of the lesson in all this just might be that it’s time we start developing some serious filtering skills.
and it is also absurd to argue whether the end justifies the means, will this be an overnight sensation or was the (over)exposure simply a necessary jump start for a work that will eventually be considered seminal?
only time will tell
thank you, please do revisit in 6 months.
to deny that the performance had a profound effect in the present, regardless of hype, is silly
as far as the hype goes, we are living in a time when people tweet about every cup of coffee they drink, part of the lesson in all this just might be that it’s time we start developing some serious filtering skills.
and it is also absurd to argue whether the end justifies the means, will this be an overnight sensation or was the (over)exposure simply a necessary jump start for a work that will eventually be considered seminal?
only time will tell
thank you, please do revisit in 6 months.
to deny that the performance had a profound effect in the present, regardless of hype, is silly
as far as the hype goes, we are living in a time when people tweet about every cup of coffee they drink, part of the lesson in all this just might be that it’s time we start developing some serious filtering skills.
and it is also absurd to argue whether the end justifies the means, will this be an overnight sensation or was the (over)exposure simply a necessary jump start for a work that will eventually be considered seminal?
only time will tell
thank you, please do revisit in 6 months.
@Nina: With all due respect, you sat with Abramovic on multiple occasions, linked to your website via the MoMA’s photostream on every photo of your sitting, Twittered about it, blogged about it, etc. Were we supposed to do some “filtering” of the content that you repeatedly linked to each time you attended the show? I realize that you were using the Abramovic performance as a nucleus (springboard?) for your own performance, and that you’ve defined these supplementary components as “documentation,” but one could also see you using Abramovic’s performance as a direct way to generate your own “hype” via the very devices you’re suggesting that we should be “filtering.”
@Nina: With all due respect, you sat with Abramovic on multiple occasions, linked to your website via the MoMA’s photostream on every photo of your sitting, Twittered about it, blogged about it, etc. Were we supposed to do some “filtering” of the content that you repeatedly linked to each time you attended the show? I realize that you were using the Abramovic performance as a nucleus (springboard?) for your own performance, and that you’ve defined these supplementary components as “documentation,” but one could also see you using Abramovic’s performance as a direct way to generate your own “hype” via the very devices you’re suggesting that we should be “filtering.”
@Nina: With all due respect, you sat with Abramovic on multiple occasions, linked to your website via the MoMA’s photostream on every photo of your sitting, Twittered about it, blogged about it, etc. Were we supposed to do some “filtering” of the content that you repeatedly linked to each time you attended the show? I realize that you were using the Abramovic performance as a nucleus (springboard?) for your own performance, and that you’ve defined these supplementary components as “documentation,” but one could also see you using Abramovic’s performance as a direct way to generate your own “hype” via the very devices you’re suggesting that we should be “filtering.”
I had never heard the name nina meledandri before today. Unless it was when Miltos Manetas registered the domain name whitneybiennial.org and drove around Manhattan with a van of rejected artists’ work–possibly it was in there?
I had never heard the name nina meledandri before today. Unless it was when Miltos Manetas registered the domain name whitneybiennial.org and drove around Manhattan with a van of rejected artists’ work–possibly it was in there?
I had never heard the name nina meledandri before today. Unless it was when Miltos Manetas registered the domain name whitneybiennial.org and drove around Manhattan with a van of rejected artists’ work–possibly it was in there?
I had never heard the name nina meledandri before today. Unless it was when Miltos Manetas registered the domain name whitneybiennial.org and drove around Manhattan with a van of rejected artists’ work–possibly it was in there?
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