Marina Abramović Makes History Once Again
With the Gallerie dell’Accademia’s first-ever major solo exhibition honoring a living woman artist.
Marina Abramović has long been breaking records, solidifying her title as one of the most important artists of our generation. In 1977, Abramović became the first woman to take home a Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale for her performance “Balkan Baroque.” Now, as she enters her 80th year, she touches down again in the floating city, this time for her history-making showcase, Transforming Energy, at Gallerie dell’Accademia. This marks the institution’s first-ever major solo exhibition honoring a living woman artist.
Curated by Shai Baitel, the exhibition runs concurrently with the Venice Biennale and presents Abramovic’s pioneering performance artworks against rich Renaissance masterpieces. Cementing her legacy in the city, her most pioneering works are put in direct dialogue with the historical pieces.
A highlight of the show is a staging of “Pietá (with Ulay)” (1983) beside Titian’s 16th-century original in a cross-century dialogue of grief and transcendence. Abramović’s fascination with endurance and spiritual transformation also manifests in “Transitory Objects,” an interactive series of stone and crystal beds where visitors are invited to lie down or stand on these pieces to activate “energy transmissions.” This is Abramović at her finest, and an exhibition you cannot miss this year.
The showcase is now on view in Venice until October 19.
In other news, these are the female artists to see at this year’s Venice Biennale.
