Marina Abramovic to the Saló dels Miralls of the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Marina Abramovi? has redefined the language of contemporary art since her emergence in the 1970s. Known as "the grandmother of performance art," Abramovi? has made her body a space of experimentation, confrontation, and transformation, exploring the physical, emotional, and psychological limits of both the artist and the viewer. Through often radical and challenging actions, she has turned her work into a visceral reflection on resistance, vulnerability, and the spiritual dimension of human existence.

In an era marked by the political and social upheaval of post-war Yugoslavia, Abramovi? emerged with an art that rejected traditional forms and sought a direct connection with the public. She understood performance as a way to escape the limits of traditional canvas and framework, instead seeking the immediate energy of the present moment. Her early works, like Rhythm 10 (1973), already hinted at a dialogue between body and object, pain, and ritual, where the artist put herself in physical danger. This tension between the autonomy of the body and its subjection to external limits is a recurring theme throughout her career.

Collaborating with Ulay, her creative and romantic partner for twelve years, produced some of the most impactful works of contemporary art. In pieces like Relation in Time (1977) or The Lovers (1988), where the couple walked from opposite ends of the Great Wall of China to bid farewell, Abramovi? and Ulay explored dynamics of intimacy, power, and separation. Their joint work was built as a narrative of interdependence, where human fragility becomes a mirror for the public.

Over the years, Abramovi? has delved into a spiritual exploration that transcends physical pain to situate itself in the realm of energy and contemplation. The Artist Is Present (2010), presented at the MoMA in New York, became a global phenomenon, bringing together thousands of spectators willing to share a gaze with the artist. This seemingly simple yet extraordinarily profound work illustrated the power of presence and the transformative potential of human connection without words.

Abramovi?'s impact is not limited to her works but extends to her pedagogical work and her advocacy for performance as a central discipline of contemporary art. Through the founding of the Marina Abramovi? Institute (MAI), the artist has ensured that future generations continue to explore the limits of body, mind, and spirit in the context of art.

Abramovi? had been to Barcelona on other occasions as a visitor, but it was at the Liceu where she presented her first work: 7 Deaths of Maria Callas (March 2023). The autobiographical nature of her work, fueled by the inherent suffering of her disillusionment and amorous dramas, found a particular resonance in the life of Maria Callas (1923-1977).

Marina Abramovi? has made her life a work of art in itself. With a blend of courage and vulnerability, she has illuminated the darkest corners of the human condition and offered us an artistic experience that, beyond aesthetics, is profoundly transformative. Her art, simultaneously unsettling and liberating, invites us to look at ourselves from a new perspective, to inhabit our bodies consciously, and to understand the energy that connects us to the world. With each work, Abramovi? reminds us that, as spectators and human beings, we are also creators of our own meaning.