The Louis Theroux Podcast S6 EP7: Marina Abramovic on the relationship between performance and pain, never feeling loved in her childhood, and harmful conspiracies
Nov 18, 2025
Marina Abramović, a pioneering performance artist known for her physically and emotionally charged works, shares her journey from a troubled childhood to the heights of artistic expression. She discusses the painful relationship between performance and pain, revealing how personal trauma has fueled her art. Marina also addresses being targeted by harmful internet conspiracies, including Pizzagate and the impact of online culture on her life. Her insights on resilience and the role of the audience in performance art make for a captivating conversation.
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Pain As A Door To Transcendence
- Marina Abramović trains her body like an astronaut to access deeper states beyond physical pain.
- She describes pain as a doorway to altered consciousness and long-duration work reveals hidden internal motions.
Stillness As Transformative Performance
- The Artist Is Present aimed to show performance's transformative power by Marina simply sitting motionless in public.
- Her stillness created intense engagement and sustained queues, proving presence itself can be profound art.
When The Audience Turned Violent
- In Rhythm 0 (1974) Marina stood passive for six hours while the public used 72 objects on her body.
- The audience escalated to violence, cutting her and even drinking blood, proving public aggression can endanger the performer.
