Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present
2012 Directed by Matthew Akers
Synopsis
The film follows the artist as she prepares for what may be the most important moment of her life: a major retrospective of her work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. To be given a retrospective at one of the world's premiere museums is, for any living artist, the most exhilarating sort of milestone. For Marina, it is far more - it is the chance to finally silence the question she has been hearing over and over again for four decades: 'But why is this art?'
Popular reviews
More-
I have a hard time with documentaries. I do appreciate the form, but I bristle at the belief, held by some, that documentaries speak truth in a way that fiction films don't (same goes for books). There is no such thing as an unbiased documentary, but some filmmakers do try more than others, or at least acknowledge the bias. In that respect, I think that Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present is at least somewhat honest; one of Marina's assistants talks about the careful marketing of Marina, and this is just one piece of that. Still, I am very glad I watched it.
Marina stated that she wanted to make this film to show the administration of art, and everything…
-
The film follows Serbian performance artist Marina Abramović as she prepares for, then stages, her 2010 'The Artist is Present' piece where visitors to New York's Museum of Modern Art were invited to sit on a chair opposite her for as long as they wished, without speaking or performing, just looking into the artist's eyes as she gazed intently back.
'The Artist is Present' was the one new piece in a major retrospective of Abramović's work at MoMA, and this feature length documentary is the same, covering what can aptly be described as her body of work, culminating in her most physically and psychologically exposed and taxing challenge yet.
A very physical artist, using her body, pushing it to its… -
Η Marina σταυρώθηκε για τις αμαρτίες μας.
-
Film #62 Of The December Project.
I didn't love this doco. In particular, I am not particularly a fan of performance art in general. Whipping yourself, or a lot of the other stuff Marina talks about doing in this doco, just seems weird and kind of ridiculous. I also think, on a basic level, making people pay to sit down and look at you is a little, I don't know, arrogant.
This last point doesn't matter though, because as I realized during the documentary, what the piece actually is, is a little more than that. It's a kind of beautiful celebration of human nature, and the documentary does some really interesting stuff exploring how people (including surprise cameo from James…
-
Marina Abramovic is often described as a provocateur, which is why its such a surprise to find her so human and charming in this documentary.
Filmed before and during her retrospective at MoMA, it examines Abramovic's creative past and her break up with the artist Ulay, with whom she had a twelve year professional and romantic relationship.
All three acts of the film are fascinating - scenes of her early work (carving shapes into her bare flesh), her reunion with Ulay and the reactions and interactions to her performance of "The Artist is Present" at MoMa as visitors take turns sitting opposite her (as banal as this sounds, its incredibly moving to watch).
Similar to the Philip Glass doco from a few years back ("Glass: a portrait of Philip in twelve parts"), but perhaps with a more charismatic subject. If you enjoyed the film, don't miss the DVD extras either (extra interviews and a revealing background on Marina's mother).
-
I need to watch more documentaries. There are so many great ones but 95% of the time I pick a narrative film over a doc; I should work on that.
This is a well done documentary about performance artist Marina Abramovic that revolves around her exhibit at MoMa in 2010. It's playing in select theaters and also on HBO(so try and DVR it).
As long as you are open to art and don't roll your eyes at the general notion, this is a very interesting doc. I don't know much about art and I hadn't heard of Marina before this. She is a performance artist who I now know has had a very long career full of some very unique shows. The film gives the viewer a glimpse of the past, building up to the most recent and biggest show.
It feels a little bit long and it might peak a little early, but I really liked it.
Recent reviews
More-
Overwhelming and great documentary about a fascinating woman and artist. Well shot and accompanied with a nice score it was too bad that the last third was only the MoMa exhibition. Nonetheless there were some wonderful and emotional scenes. And two "guest appearances" of two actors. My brain said 4 1/2 stars but my buried, emotional part enforced.
-
De los excelentes documentales de HBO, la historia de una obra. La de la extrema defensora del performance M.A. pasando por sus inicios desde su presente; esta restrsopectiva en el MOMA que no consistía tanto en una antología, cómo en una expsosición con obras nuevas y revisitadas. El increible momento vivido con Ulay, su expareja de los setenta y sus inicios en ese perfomance entre dos y el silencio y su ser. El ideal y la ética de un artista, su conexión con el público a veces díficl de creer (acampaban noches y días para esperar sentarse frente a ella en el perfomance central de exposición), los espontaneos que quieren utilizarla como trampolín haciendo otros performances frente a ella, incluso…
-
"So many people have so much pain"
The Artist Is Present documents Marina Abramović's most recent performance piece in The Museum of Modern Art of the same name. The documentary is a perfect blend of Marina's earlier work for newcomers, while still covering the exhibit.
It's difficult to judge the plot of a documentary, but I felt overall it was paced wonderfully. The exhibit was given enough time and, while still being the 'third act climax', was very quite and slow. This was perfect, for the dreary music and the intellectual camerawork was a wonderful visual representation of the experience it must have felt like sat in front of Marina. The sections about her personal life was very well integrated…
-
This documentary shows performance artist Marina Abramovic as she prepared for a 2010 MoMA retrospective of her career and her performance of "The Artist is Present". The Artist is Present is a work in which Abramovic, over a 3 month period at MoMA, 7 hours a day, sat silent and immobile, while members of the public, one by one, could sit across from her.
Whether you like this documentary is contingent on what you think of Abramovic and her work. I'm a big fan of the artist Laurie Anderson, but beyond her I have a hard time getting into performance art. That said, I found Abramovic's The Artist is Present to be compelling and moving. I was less interested in…
-
Celebratory and convincing. I walked away with an appreciation of her art and of the work involved in curating such a major exhibit.
-
Filma, kas, manuprāt, (atvainojiet) būtu pelnījusi Oskaru dokumentālo filmu kategorijā - pārliecinoši kinematogrāfiskiem līdzekļiem atrisināts stāsts, arī informatīvā un tekstuālā daļa, kas daudzos ( arī nu jau Oskarotā Searching for Sugar Man) gadījumos neglābjami ieslīgst "runājošo galvu" stilistikā bez adekvātas kino valodas klātbūtnes. Filmas kulminatīvā daļa, manuprāt, ir Abramovičas akcijas - "sēdēšanas ar skatītājiem"- askētiskā, bez jebkādiem ārējiem vipendroniem, bet iekšēji dramatiski uzspriegotā fiksācija, kuras virsotne ir divskats ar bijušo vīru, mākslinieku Ulanu.
Līdztekus veiksmīgam balansam starp formu un saturu (lasi: informācijas pārnešanai kino valodā) filma nemitīgi apspēlē arī "neredzamo" filosofisko slāni par artista nemitīgo būšanu present - māklsinieks ir klātesošs telpā, laikā, skatītājā, pat sevī, visur, vienmēr, nepārtraukti-nenorimti, mūžīgi mūžos. No escape, no excuses. -
Almost turned me into one of those blubbering messes who sat in on Marina's piece. Unexpectedly moving doc.
-
Amazing.
-
Πώς γίνεται τα μάτια να λένε τόσα πολλά;...