In a practice workshop in Manchester, Marina Abramović partakes in a dish of succulent lamb and a Balkan relish. That topping, crafted with bell peppers and aromatic garlic, is a homemade gift from a close companion. Her helper, a trusted colleague, readies the food as the artist extends a bite to visitors—a surprisingly warm welcome from the leading figure of performance art.
A Groundbreaking Performance
Named Balkan Erotic Epic, this upcoming exhibition is a four-hour work created and overseen by the artist. Featuring over 70 performers, dancers, and regional talent, the piece portrays multiple scenes based on historical ceremonies, rites, and myths from Eastern European heritage. Several of these scenes include unclothed bodies and direct eroticism sourced from tales gathered from throughout the Balkans.
“I discovered,” she explains, “that these ancient rituals for harvests, for births, for union ceremonies, for burials, invariably, involved private parts—reproductive organs—in numerous forms.”
The live event will be supported with screens, cinematic elements, audio, and animated sequences, occupying the immense stage of the performance hall. This project is considered the pivotal of her life, with the aim of reexamining the past and exploring our current identities.
Personal and Political
In her view, this exhibition is deeply personal. Hailing in the Balkan region, now her home country, the performance commences with the burial of the former leader and wraps up with marriage celebrations. Throughout these bookends, spectators will witness a range of rituals, from females striking their chests in sorrow to dancing skeletons and a large-scale erotic scene.
“There will be plenty of dissent yet that demonstrates the issue—we don’t accept our own history,” she asserts.
Among the acts are historical women warriors alongside men “penetrating” the soil as part of a agricultural ritual. A sensual duet between an representatives of conflicting cultures—culturally “adversaries”—forms a part of the storyline. Additionally, a pregnant woman will be covered with milk in accordance with Romany ritual.
Visuals and Meaning
One of the most striking elements is a “spore-filled setting” populated by 16-foot phalluses rising from the ground. The artist points out one phallus that evokes a slender column, calling it inspired by the artist.
Now nearly 79, the visionary remains engaging and boundary-pushing. Attired in monochromatic clothing with bright crimson fingertips, she radiates a timeless glamour. Questioned if her body will participate in the piece, she answers cryptically, “I don’t promise anything: it’s possible, or not.”
Public Reception
Abramović admits that spectators locally may find the material shocking or scandalous. She references a previous showing in 2023 when Imponderabilia, with a unclothed pair in a doorway, provoked public discourse in the city. However she argues that the unclothed body possesses a distinct impact.
“Bare skin elicits strong reactions since individuals feel fear, interested, delighted and captivated,” she observes. “So I accept spectators seeing this throughout the show will have a wide range of feelings.”
During a rehearsal of a burial act, emotions include sorrow and crying to affection and erotica. That combination of aspects is central to the performance, with segments like the orgy including bone figures writhing between live actors.
Performance Versus Exploitation
For anyone who might describe the performance as explicit content, she strongly disagrees. She contends that the rituals are elemental and sincere, dealing with the history of human beings. Women actors have even been asked not to trim their body hair for three months beforehand to highlight the authentic essence of the performance.
“For me, these rituals explore the story of humanity,” she elaborates. “This is about people, not mere explicitness.” This distinction is crucial.”
The concept for the show actually stemmed from a response to the impersonal representation of intimacy in adult films. Following creating a short film for an collection titled Destricted in the mid-2000s, Abramović was invited to explore explicit content in creative works. Yet she found this content terribly monotonous and repetitive, without substance.
Ancestral Practices
In lieu, she turned to folklore within Balkan heritage. A few practices were unable to be presented live due to their intense nature, so they are shown through animation. Cases include a 14th-century story from the region where a woman inserts a aquatic animal into her vagina overnight to make a romantic elixir. One more ritual from historical Bosnia involves a bridegroom digging several openings in a bridge and inserting into each with his phallus to prevent fertility issues.
Healing and Transformation
In a world of
