MARINA ABRAMOVIC BALKAN EROTIC EPIC Born in 1946 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Abramovic is without question one of the seminal artists of our time. Since the beginning of her career in Belgrade during the early 1970s, Abramovic has pioneered the use of performance as a visual art form. The body has always been both her subject and medium. Exploring the physical and mental limits of her being, she has withstood pain, exhaustion and danger in the quest for emotional and spiritual transformation. Abramovic’s concern with creating works that ritualize the simple actions of everyday life like lying, sitting, dreaming and thinking; in effect the manifestation of a unique mental state. As a vital member of the generation of pioneering performance artists that includes Bruce Nauman, Vito Acconci and Chris Burden, Abramovic created some of the most historic early performance pieces and is the only one still making important durational works. She was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Artist at the 1997 Venice Biennale for her extraordinary video installation/performance piece Balkan Baroque and in 2003 received the Bessie for ‘The House with the Ocean View’. Abramovic has just completed a series of performances called ‘Seven Easy Pieces’ at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Her work is included in many major public collections.