Choosing Disturbing Ideas and Embracing Shame

Marina discusses selecting obsessive, disturbing concepts, staging shame publicly, and transforming personal trauma into art.

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Transcript

Episode notes

For the final episode of this series, Louis travels to Manchester to sit down with Marina Abramovic, the self-proclaimed “grandmother of performance art”. Marina tells Louis the stories behind some of her most famous artworks, as well as the relationship between performance and pain, never feeling loved in her childhood, and being caught in the middle of an online conspiracy.

Warnings: Strong language and adult themes.

Links/Attachments:

Balkan Erotic Epic, Marina Abramovic (2025)

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/may/22/manchester-to-host-world-premiere-of-marina-abramovics-balkan-erotic-epic

The Artist is Present, Marina Abramovic (2010)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2073029/

Lips of Thomas, Marina Abramovic (1975)

https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/5176

Rhythm 0, Marina Abramovic (1974)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTBkbseXfOQ&list=PL0bCt-VbCH4N3823Lj7uNAFLiYDjSnbTp&index=1

Cut Piece, Yoko Ono (1964)

https://www.moma.org/audio/playlist/15/373