Marina Abramović Performance 1974 -

Rhythm 0 was the final piece in Abramović’s Rhythm series, which systematically explored states of consciousness, bodily limits, and the relationship between performer and spectator. For this performance, Abramović arranged 72 objects on a table, including pleasurable items (feathers, perfume, a rose), neutral ones (a book, matches), and instruments of pain and danger (scissors, a scalpel, a razor blade, a loaded pistol with one bullet). Accompanying instructions read: “There are 72 objects on the table that one can use on me as desired. I am the object. I take full responsibility for the duration of six hours.”

By the sixth hour, Abramović was stripped, bleeding, and crying. When she finally broke her passivity and walked toward the audience, they fled the room, unable to face the consequences of their actions. marina abramović performance 1974

The Body as Object and Subject: Trust, Violence, and Institutional Critique in Marina Abramović’s Rhythm 0 (1974) Rhythm 0 was the final piece in Abramović’s

Initially immobile and silent, Abramović invited the public to act upon her body without restriction. Crucially, the gallery staff instructed the audience that they were not to be held legally or morally accountable for their actions. I am the object