Marina Abramovic’s Artistic Pad

This article in the New York Times features two very cool pads inhabited by Marina Abramovic. You can see these images and others in the slide show here. I've recently become obsessed with this artist since reading an article about her in the New Yorker magazine, in the March 8th issue (Walking Through Walls by Judith Thurman, found here).

Her NYC loft is austere and stark, with mid century modern pieces.



Her upstate country abode is shaped like a star, which is a symbol she identifies with from her country of origin, Yugoslavia.



Here are some fun facts about Marina:

She's a performance artist.

A retrospective of her work is currently on exhibition at MOMA.

She's participating in one of the exhibits, where Marina will be sitting motionless all day long for 72 days, and starting across the table from various museum patrons who stand in line for a chance to sit motionless across from her, but for not so long, say just an hour or so. You can read about this here.
You can see Marina live during museum hours here, just click here and click "watch live." It's fascinating! I wish I could see it in person...

Marina likes use her body as a medium and push it to extremes...



Image found here.

In one piece, Balkan Baroque, she spent 6 hours a day for 4 days scrubbing 1500 cow bones, weeping, and singing Balkan folk songs.



Image found here.

To culminate a meaningful relationship, Abramovic and her lover, Ulay, started out at opposite far ends of the Great Wall of China and walked toward each other. After three months of walking they met in the middle and said goodbye. I've once had a boyfriend who broke up with me by leaving a message on my answering maching, so I find this level of stamina and commemoration particularly impressive.

Her farewell performance will be her funeral, which will take place simultaneously in 3 different cities. In each city there will be a coffin. No one will know which will have the real body.