By Lillian Ward
Staff Writer
Marina Abramović, a renowned Serbian performance artist, is daunted by little. In 1974 in a gallery in Naples, Italy, her performance “Rhythm 0” involved placing 72 items on a table and allowing the audience to choose how to use them on her. Some of the items included perfume, flowers and lipstick. However, other objects such as a gun, a bullet and scissors left the artist vulnerable to violence.
Within three hours, the experiment had descended into chaos. Abramović’s clothing had been cut off. The experiment ended when a man thrust a loaded gun to Marina’s head with her finger wrapped around the trigger. She never flinched, staring straight ahead. As fights in the audience broke out around her, Marina remained detached from those around her, never losing her composure.
This stoicism and commitment to carrying out her performances even amidst immediate danger has characterized the artist’s international reputation. Lately, however, it’s not her performances that have kept the art world perplexed by the 77-year-old. In a statement made recently by the artist’s team, Abramović revealed that she is venturing into uncharted territory for visual artists: her very own skin care line.
The line, known as the “Longevity Method,” is an extension of The Marina Abramović Method, a set of cards with exercises that the artist uses to cultivate creativity. Her new skin care line promises to be a solution to the exhaustion resulting from the “rapid development of technology.”
In a statement made on the new brand’s website, the artist cites the prevalence of artificial intelligence in everyday life as the reason for creating this new line.
“If we human beings don’t embrace simplicity in our lives, we will be lost. Our brains cannot compete with or follow the algorithms of powerful computers and artificial intelligence,” said Abramović.
The products, which include immune, anti-allergy and energy drops along with face lotion, were developed in order to “re-discover forgotten rituals and knowledge of the past,” said Abramović on her website.
The sudden interest in skincare has drawn both perplexed and cynical reactions from art critics and the public. Is this one of Abromovićs performances that will soon be revealed? Or is the skincare line simply a way for the artist to capitalize on her image?
The abrupt deviation from performance art to expensive skin care (the face lotion sells for $252) has once again raised the age-old question of the role of the artist. The significance of the image and presence of the artist is a concept that Abromović’s art has reckoned with throughout her career. Her image is inseparable from her art, and yet the mundanity of preventing wrinkles is at odds with her daring performances involving knives and guns.
In an age where social media influencers have achieved celebrity status, the commodification of beauty is at an all-time high.
In 1974, “Rhythm 0” exposed the dark undercurrent of violence that comes to light with the absence of accountability. Perhaps the Ambrović’s skin care line will eventually reveal itself to be a ruse in disguise, meant to encourage reflection on society's obsession with self-improvement and appearance.
Whether the line is a genuine exploration of skin care or a performance will eventually be exposed when the items are officially released.
