Double bill: Abramović returns to Australia with blockbuster tour
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/882d56wc8onjiPYDxem89Y-415-80.jpg)
Following on from last summer's success at the Serpentine Gallery, renowned Serbian artist Marina Abramović returns with a double season in Tasmania and Sydney.
It was by happy coincidence that the longstanding arts philanthropist John Kaldor and David Walsh, the enigmatic founder of the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), approached Abramović for separate shows, imploring her to return to Australia. It is, after all, the setting for her first performance of 'The Gaze', which was largely responsible for her celebrity status. 'She holds Australia very dear to her heart,' explains Kaldor. 'It is like her artistic, spiritual home.'
At MONA, Abramović will perform some of her earliest pieces, originally conceived with her then-collaborative partner, the German artist Ulay, as well as some of her more recent work. The show, titled 'Private Archaeology', will run over a four-month period, beginning 13 June.
Then, over in Sydney, 'Marina Abramović: In Residence' will take her audience on a journey, making them active collaborators as opposed to a passive bystanders. As with her 2014 London show, '512 Hours', Abramović herself will ‘conduct’ her subjects through the now-famous ‘Abramović Method’, which endorses and instills mindfulness in her audience, taking them through a physical and emotional journey. Alongside her 12-day residency, the artist will take a dozen young artists under her wing.
Continuing her Australian tour, Abramović and David Walsh will host an afternoon of conversation at the Odeon Theatre in Hobart on 14 June; a true blockbuster of Abramović activities.
As part of 'Private Archaeology' at MONA, Abramović will explore some of her earliest performance pieces, many of which were collaborations with her partner and former lover, Ulay. Pictured here is their 'Rest Energy' of 1980
Abramović, pictured here in 1997, is well known for what is now known as the 'Abramović Method', by which she instills in her audience a sense of mindfulness, taking them through a physical and emotional journey as part of her performance
Throughout her entire working career, Abramović has been fascinated with the possibilities and the limits of the human body
A still from Abramović's 1996 film showing an eyeball being poked and tickled. It formed part of her 'In Between' installation, where visitors had to sign a contract promising to stay for 40 minutes
'Dozing Consciousness' of 1997. Abramović buried herself in a heap of quartz crystals, which shifted every time she breathed
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
Olympics exclusive: Wallpaper* interviews Joachim Roncin, director of design, Paris 2024
How do you begin to design the Olympics? We pulled up a pew with the director of design for Paris 2024 to learn more about gender-free mascots with a genital likeness and medals made from the Eiffel Tower
By Hugo Macdonald Published
-
LA cool meets modern vintage in Ivi jewellery
Ivi jewellery is inspired by LA's glamorous film heritage
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Hamburg’s new food court Le Big TamTam offers traditional flavours in an irreverent setting
Le Big TamTam, designed by Studio Aisslinger, marks a new era in Hamburg’s hospitality-rich Hanse District
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Royal College of Physicians Museum presents its archives in a glowing new light
London photography exhibition ‘Unfamiliar’, at the Royal College of Physicians Museum (23 January – 28 July 2023), presents clinical tools as you’ve never seen them before
By Martha Elliott Published
-
Museum of Sex to open Miami outpost in spring 2023
The Museum of Sex will expand with a new Miami outpost in spring 2023, housed in a former warehouse reimagined by Snøhetta and inaugurated with an exhibition by Hajime Sorayama
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
Vanessa Beecroft’s ethereal performance and sculpture exhibition explore Sicily’s cultural history
At the historic Palazzo Abatellis, Sicily, Vanessa Beecroft has unveiled ‘VB94’, a new tableau vivant comprising a one-time performance and a new series of sculptures, the latter on view until 8 January
By Hili Perlson Published
-
Subversive artist Cosey Fanni Tutti on individuality and annihilating limitations
Following the launch of her new book Re-Sisters, we speak to Cosey Fanni Tutti about conquering fear through action, stepping into the unknown, and the secret to making art that matters
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
Jenny Holzer curates Louise Bourgeois: ‘She was infinite’
The inimitable work of Louise Bourgeois is seen through the eyes of Jenny Holzer in this potent meeting of minds at Kunstmuseum Basel
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published
-
Can the Marina Abramović Method change your life?
Lady Gaga and Jay-Z are among those who have followed the Abramović Method to reach higher creative consciousness. Now, the artist’s iconic approach has been translated into a series of instruction cards for all. If you don’t try, you’ll never know
By Harriet Lloyd Smith Last updated
-
‘A Show About Nothing’: group exhibition in Hangzhou celebrates emptiness
The inaugural exhibition at new Hangzhou cultural centre By Art Matters explores ‘nothingness’ through 30 local and international artists, including Maurizio Cattelan, Ghislaine Leung, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Liu Guoqiang and Yoko Ono
By Yoko Choy Last updated
-
Three days in Doha: art, sport, desert, heat
In our three-day Doha diary, we record the fruits of Qatar’s cultural transformation, which involved Jeff Koons, a glass palace of books, and a desert sunset on Richard Serra
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Last updated