"Self-Mutilation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery" looks at the art of Marina Abramovic, an artist who longs to be crucified. Beginning on Wednesday, Abramovic will be staging a series of performances, "Seven Easy Pieces," for which she will be recreating notorious performance art works. She wanted to recreate Chris Burden's "Transfixed," crucifying herself on a Russian limo instead of a Volkswagen Bug. Unfortunately, Burden declined giving her permission to recreate his piece. Instead, she will be carving a star into her stomach with a razor blade, whipping herself, and lying on an ice cross to bleed.

Partly to prove that she is as committed to these ideas as she was in her 20's, Ms. Abramovic had wanted to include not only Mr. Burden's crucifixion piece but also a re-creation of what she considers her most radical work, called "Rhythm 0." Performed only once in Naples in 1974, its premise was terrifyingly simple: She agreed to stand in a gallery for six hours while anyone who came in could choose any of 72 objects around her - including knives, scissors, a needle, a loaded gun - and do anything they wanted to her with the objects. It was her only work in which she essentially ceded control over her body, and over the pain to be inflicted, to her audience.

The participants became involved slowly at first, but after a while Ms. Abramovic's clothes were cut off, and her body marked, burned and cut. Finally, a man took the gun and made her put it up to her head, trying to force her to squeeze the trigger. She didn't resist, but a fight ensued as other spectators intervened. "This was the only performance where I was really ready to die," she said. Trying to explain why, she repeated a well-known quotation from the artist Bruce Nauman, one of whose performance pieces will also be recreated in her show: "Art is a matter of life and death. This may be melodramatic, but it is also true."

_Elichrusos

Australia

November 2004

NOV 06, 2005 11:43 AM

This woman is more alive than I. Amazing.

Liante

SUICIDEGIRL

Kiribati

NOV 06, 2005 11:51 AM

...

Apart from all the other things I want to say here (none of them nice), dude, what a fucking hassle. If that guy had gotten her to pull the trigger, say hello to one of the most ridiculous homicide prosecutions/crim law final exam questions ever.

I can see the Law & Order episode already.

heresy2007

New Paltz, NY

July 2004

NOV 06, 2005 11:53 AM

Ah the performance artists of the 70's how I love thee.
But honey, it's been done before, all of it, you did it yourself. Bravo, bravo, bravo! but do not overshadow your last performance with a petty recreation, or reunion tour if you will. There is a reason Burden did not give you permission, because it's been done before. Why recreate it, why relive the past! Sweety, the only way you can take this further is by blowing your brains out on a canvas, but other then that it's old hat.

MrStitches

Brooklyn, NY

November 2003

NOV 06, 2005 12:08 PM

Man, I really don't get art.

heresy2007

New Paltz, NY

July 2004

NOV 06, 2005 12:13 PM

MrStitches said:
Man, I really don't get art.

It's easy. To this generation Art Was Spectical. The more shocked you could get people the better! Their theory was that there was nothing new under the sun in terms of traditionalism, and even modern art, so they removed the process of creating an image out of the picture, and used their bodies as an avenue to create a grandiose spectical. It was their attempt to do something new. And it worked they got themselves in the art history books.

Art is just about being new, nothing more, nothing less. People will do anything to be new, it's kind of a circus really.

thestral

Manassas, VA

August 2005

NOV 06, 2005 12:14 PM

Why is it that when I pay a girl 500 bucks to let me do anything to her, it's prostitution and when this chick lays herself out so anyone can do anything to her, it's art?

Oh well.

Joual

Israel

October 2005

NOV 06, 2005 12:18 PM

thestral said:
Why is it that when I pay a girl 500 bucks to let me do anything to her, it's prostitution and when this chick lays herself out so anyone can do anything to her, it's art?

Oh well.

See, the thing is sex is evil and nasty and shameful whereas letting someone put a fucking gun to your head is fine art.

AstralTraveller

United Kingdom

January 2003

NOV 06, 2005 12:22 PM

hmmmmagicofart

Al

SUICIDEGIRL

Christmas Island

NOV 06, 2005 12:32 PM

Whoah.

I would totally go to every night of that if I could.