C.R.S
RESEARCH 2
Marina Abramovic
"The audience is like a dog. They can feel immediately that you are afraid, that you are insecure, that you're not in the right state of mind - and they just leave..."
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Marina Abramovic is an artist that has always caught my attention, first being introduced to her work in college. However then I was a painting artist, never did I think her practice would have any kind of link to my own. However, my interests and skills have very much changed since then, now I applaud her courage and her ability to capture her audiences attention effortlessly.
Marina, is a Serbian performance artist using herself and her body as her subject and her medium. However she wasn't always an performance artist, she was originally a painter, it has came to my attention after reading various texts on Abramovic. She has had an eventful life, creating pieces that will remain important for generations.
She was born in Serbia , Belgrade, on the 30th November 1946. She was raised by her grandparents, this was because her parents became 'national heroes' after the war and were given responsibility elsewhere. She was raised in an religious home, shortly after her brother was born she returned to to her parents. She explained in an interview her mother would 'beat' her for supposedly showing off, which made growing up under her shadow very difficult.
First she was a Fine Art student, in the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade 1965-1970, however completed her studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb SR Croatia 1972.
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Marina Abramovic and Ulay
Marina Abramović
Marina Abramović
In a world of insecurities and pressure to conform to the idea of beauty that surrounds us today, I don't find this anywhere to be seen in Marina'a work. Her presence is so strong within these images and that is the presence I want to repeat within my own practice, Marina inspires me so, purely because she is so unapologetically passionate. I chose to use three naked images, to include within my research.I thought due to the nature of my subject, being 'naked' is one of the biggest fears we face. Although being n naked is our natural form, we still find it hard to accept what we see. Nature however remains pure, true and unapologetic. Within its natural form and beauty, yet we don't shy away from that. I am using my own body within my work, which takes a lot of courage. I find it hard to accept my own beauty, however I can embrace others.
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In the first image, this piece was live within an exhibition. Two naked people stood in a doorway a male and a female, people passing through chose which direction they'd feel more comfortable facing. This surely would be an uncomfortable situation for most, due to the mind automatically thinking about the sexual connection to the bodies. For example a man might not feel comfortable facing a women due to brushing against her breasts, a woman would feel uncomfortable brushing up against a mans penis. I also believe that the people would not feel embarrassed of themselves in that moment, purely because someone else is in a more embarrassing situation than them. I feel this is an issue that is wrong with society, we take comfort in other peoples misfortune.
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