Marina Abramović Reflects on Controversial Performance: "I Was Completely Drained"

Note: Video at the end of article

Renowned for pushing the limits of performance art, Marina Abramović has built a career on confronting fear, vulnerability, and the human experience. Now 78, the Serbian artist has revisited one of her most controversial pieces — a bold reinterpretation of another artist’s work that left her physically and emotionally spent.

For those unfamiliar with performance art, it’s not about pleasing aesthetics or polished gallery pieces. At its core, the medium challenges norms, often provoking discomfort or intense reflection.

Abramović has long embodied that ethos. In one of her most infamous early works from 1974, she stood silently as audience members were invited to do anything they wished to her body for six hours — a performance that teetered on the edge of real danger and demonstrated her deep commitment to the art form.

Fast forward to 2005, when she recreated Vito Acconci’s notorious Seedbed piece at New York’s Guggenheim Museum. In Acconci’s original 1972 performance, he lay hidden beneath a gallery floor, masturbating while visitors walked above him. Abramović’s version added a new dimension — reinterpreting the act through a female perspective.

“It was one of the hardest performances I’ve ever done,” she admitted in an interview with New York Art at the time. “I had to concentrate more than I ever have in my life. I experienced nine orgasms. It was physically exhausting — and the next day I had another performance. I could barely move.”

In a more recent reflection shared on the Fashion Neurosis YouTube channel, Abramović delved deeper into the experience. “Orgasm is such a powerful moment — it connects you to everything: nature, animals, light, the universe. It makes you feel alive,” she explained. “But doing that for hours, in isolation, only heard but not seen, was a real challenge. I take my work seriously, and this one truly tested me.”

She emphasized the importance of discomfort in her creative process. “I only do things that scare me. If I’m not afraid, it’s not worth doing. That fear — it’s the gateway to truth.”

Though her performances may seem extreme to some, Abramović sees them as necessary explorations of the human condition. Her work continues to provoke conversation, stir emotions, and push the boundaries of what art can be.