“In every ancient culture, there are rituals to mortify the body as a way of understanding that the energy of the soul is indestructible. The more I think about energy, the simpler my art becomes, because it is just about pure presence.”

Serbian conceptual and performance artist

Marina Abramović is a Serbian conceptual and performance artist. Active for more than four decades, she is known for work that has helped define performance art. Her art explores body art, endurance art, the relationship between performer and audience, the limits of the body, and the possibilities of the mind. Her work has been described as reshaping the language of contemporary performance art.