Marina Abramovic is a performance artist from Yugoslavia, her performances are not like normal routines where one comes on stage perform for the audience and leave. She believes in making everyone participate.

Marina has been performing for 30 years now and that is why she is also known by the name of “big mommy” as she makes her audience to look deep inside and ask questions to them selves through her performance.

It is said that a person finds its creative side when they are at their worst. This was the case with Marina too. She had tormented childhood with both her parents being violent and physical towards her. Having such a violent childhood helped her find solace in art.

She grew up to become a fine art student first and then started performing, with confidence on her face and pain in her eyes.

Marina performed the rhythm act quite often which were the most memorable ones. One such acts were RHYTHM ZERO.
This was performed in Italy in the year 1976 and is still talked about. the act  lasted for 6hrs
and Marina did not perform anything, she just stood there naked with a table beside her on which 72 items were kept ranging from flowers, feathers to spikes and thorns. People were
encouraged to use anything from the table for the next 6 hours. She made it very clear that she will be totally responsible for everything.
The whole purpose of her act was to see how normal people behave under such circumstances.

Instructions were simple, there are 72 items on the table you can use any of your choices for next 6 hours.

First, only the photographers came ahead then a few people moved her around

Then people started approaching the table, in the beginning, people used ropes to tie her a few put feathers on her and others just watched.

Some people shake-up her by shaking her hands and feet. They took her from one place to another.

The table had everything flowers, petals, blades etc.

She was tied at first….
Then people started putting things on her

One of the fellows cut her with a blade

The other one asked her to point a loaded gun on herself

One of then turned her naked and touched her private parts

Some other were not satisfied by that so they poked thorns on her body

After the performance got over i.e 6 hours, she went on to each and everyone standing there and looked them right into their eyes, the same people who were harassing her a few moments back could not look her in the eye.

She said later
“What is the biggest problem with mankind, if given a chance they would not shy away from becoming a monster no matter what they are. People will find pleasure in inducing pain to others given a chance.”


Who are these people?? It is us.
It's us who find it appealing to harm and hurt people if we are freed from the consequences of our acts.