Marina Abramovic, a daring artist known for her provocative work, shared a terrifying experience from a performance art piece where she allowed people to do anything to her for six hours. This piece, called “Rhythm 0,” involved Abramovic standing still while spectators used any of the 72 objects laid out in front of her.
The items ranged from harmless objects like flowers and perfume to dangerous ones like razors and knives. At first, participants were gentle, offering roses and kisses. However, as time passed, the situation took a dark and dangerous turn.
Abramovic found herself in peril when a knife was placed between her legs, and parts of her clothing were torn off. Disturbing photos from the event show her crying. In a 2014 interview with the Guardian, she revealed that she had a loaded pistol with her and was prepared to die if necessary. One participant even cut her neck to drink her blood, while others tried to intervene and stop the chaos.
The performance ended dramatically when someone held a loaded gun to Abramovic’s head, prompting the crowd to step in. It’s still unclear if the performance was stopped by the spectators’ intervention or if the six hours simply ran out.
Reflecting on the experience, Abramovic noted that the crowd’s behavior changed over time. Initially kind, they became increasingly wild. When Abramovic finally moved, becoming herself again, the audience couldn’t handle it and fled. She learned that while she could push herself to extreme limits in her performances, leaving decisions to the public could be fatal.
Despite the trauma, Abramovic continues to reflect on this intense experience, highlighting the unpredictable nature of human behavior in her art.
