Marina Abramovic (Belgrade, former Yugoslavia, 1946) is one of the fundamental artists of our time. Since the beginning of her career, in the early 1970s, she has been a pioneer in the use of performance as a form of visual art. Abramović has used her body as a space for experimentation and confrontation exploring the physical, emotional and psychological limits of both the artist and the viewer. Her work reflects on resistance, vulnerability and the spiritual dimension of existence.
In the video work Self Portrait (2002/2013) the artist confronts her own mortality and reflects on the fear of pain and the fear of dying, deep fears that accompany us in life.
This work, linked to the performance Nude with Skeleton performed by the artist in 2002 and on subsequent occasions, proposes an intimate encounter with death and is inspired by an ancient tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Abramovic evokes a practice in which Tibetan monks sleep next to the bodies of the deceased in different states of decomposition to overcome the fear of death. Such rituals seek to train the mind to remain present before the reality of impermanence.
As proof of the transience of human bodies, the skeleton, which is revealed in death, has become its symbol. Abramovic builds the skeleton to his measure - the figure of the skeleton is a recurring motif in his work - and lies with it on her body. When breathing slowly, the skeleton comes to life and moves with it. The artist's breath animates the skeleton, so life and death are simultaneously visible. It is a reflection on the human skeleton as the definitive mirror of our existence. The skeleton as a living structure that exists within the body from birth, reminding us that death is intrinsic to life, just as the skeleton is intrinsic to the physical body.
"In my work, I always like to confront fears. So, being close to the skeleton, washing it, carrying it, breathing through it, observing it, confronting it, is the way to deal with that fear," explains the artist.