Marina Abramovic's THE ARTIST IS PRESENT: Performance Art at the Museum of Modern Art

The performance art exhibition by MARINA ABRAMOVIC (Yugoslav, born 1946) opened today at the Museum of Modern Art. The performance retrospective traces the prolific career of Ms. Abramović featuring works spanning over 4 decades of sound pieces, video works, installations, photographs, solo and collaborative performances. Today, the artist performed in the Marron Atrium by sitting in silence at a table during public hours, passively inviting visitors to take the seat across from her for as long as they choose within the timeframe of the Museum's hours of operation. Although she will not respond, participation by Museum visitors completes the piece and allows them to have a personal experience with the artist and the artwork. Internationally recognized as a pioneer and key figure in performance art, Ms. Abramović uses her own body as subject, object, and medium, exploring the physical and mental limits of her being.