The final rooms are filled with Abramović’s more recent sculptural and installation practices, including Portal (2022)—a doorframe with crystals lit up using LED lights, seemingly brought in the latest art practice (instead of solely paying homage to her well-known pieces from the twentieth century), the works are often presented in esoteric framing due to Abramović’s status as an “icon,” failing to explore recalled Eastern spirituality, materiality, and transformability in depth.
Perhaps the most striking work re-enacted in this exhibition is The House With the Ocean View. The performance involves three artists, each performing continuously for 12 days following strict guidelines established by Abramović. These guidelines (restrictions on eating, talking, reading, and writing) might seem harsh and brutal but are actually a means of creating a structured choreography. Within these limitations, there is room for artistic freedom and choice. The goal of the piece, as described in the exhibition’s wall text, is to create a state of “luminosity” where bodily discomforts can be transcended.
Marina Abramović is at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, through 1 January 2024.