Walk Through Walls |
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16 April 2024
I dated an artist for some time in Bergen who introduced me to the work of Marina Abramović. Abramović calls herself a performance artist, which means she does one-off performances rather than something like a play. She also comes from Yugoslavia, so she brings a Slavic perspective to her art. I picked up her memoir, Walk Through Walls, because I was interested to learn more. I only really knew about her performance at a museum where she spent weeks in a staring contest with whoever came in. In the book I learned that many of her performances had this endurance compenent to it. In addition to staring contests, she would walk long distances, run into things and people repeatedly, lay on cold ice, let people watch her living in an apartment built in a museum, cutting herself, etc. Why is it art? Because Abramović said it was and convinced enough people that she could make a living doing it. Her personality was even more underwhelming, as she comes off as a self-centered person who spends a good portion of her memoir trashing the people in her life. Then, rich and successful, she decided to try to copyright her performances. As if someone should have to pay her royaltyies if they lay naked on ice for a few hours. I came away from the book thinking even less of the art community that seems to be just bullshit and salesmanship. Don't waste your money on this book like I did.
