Marina Abramović’s Rhythm 0 (1974)

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If an artist says she accepts full responsibility for any actions the audience does to her during a performance piece, does that mean the audience could get away with murdering her? This was a debate that came up in the audience during Marina Abramović’s performance of Rhythm 0. The piece was a six-hour performance during which Abramović silently stood still while the audience in the gallery was allowed to do anything to her using any of the seventy-two objects she had placed on a nearby table (including grapes, a feather, wine, razors, nails, and a loaded gun). By the last hour of the performance, the audience was split into two factions: those who wanted to harm Abramović and those who wanted to protect her from rape and murder. Abramović created a space for argument and debate over what actions might be ethical, and was at times so provoking that if not for active dialogue or direct action, Abramović may have been killed.

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