Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (HBO)

About Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (H2)

The HBO documentary, "Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present" is an intense journey that follows the illustrious career and life of the performance artist, Marina Abramovic. Released in 2012, this film delves into Abramovic's past, her art and her preparation for one of the largest exhibits of her work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Making / Production

Directors Matthew Akers and Jeff Dupre intricately capture the performance, spotlighting Abramovic's consuming and emotional performances. Filmed over a two-year period, the documentary impeccably preserves Abramovic’s preparation and execution of the performance at the Museum of Modern Art.

Actors

• Marina Abramovic - As herself, Abramovic gives viewers a raw and intimate look into her life and career.
• Klaus Biesenbach - Playing himself, Biesenbach, the curator at the Museum of Modern Art, brilliantly showcases his role in setting up Abramovic's exhibit.
• David Balliano - Cast as himself, Balliano serves as a significant supporter and friend to Marina during her performance.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The documentary captured live, unscripted scenes from Marina's exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art where she sat silently for 736 hours and 30 minutes.
• Ulay, Marina's former long-term partner made a surprise appearance during the performance, creating one of the most emotionally poignant moments in the documentary.

Awards

The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sheffield Doc/Fest and an Emmy for Outstanding Arts & Culture Programming.

Quotes

• "The hardest thing is to do something which is close to nothing because it is demanding all of you." - Marina Abramovic.
• "In my performances, I’m used to a very direct, large public absolutely not prepared for contemporary art." - Marina Abramovic.

Music, Soundtrack

• Nathan Halpern is the composer of the film's elegant and subtly intense music that contributes to the film's exploration of the boundaries the artist pushes.