MC Art Matters: Meet Marina Abramovic
MC Art Matters: Meet Marina Abramovic
Art

Tue. September 2, 6:30PM

MC Art Matters: Meet Marina Abramovic

Performance art pioneer and art world icon, Marina Abramovic, is coming to TheMerode for an exclusive, unmissable conversation.

The remaining seats will be released on August 1 at 6 PM.  


Marina Abramović is an artist who needs no introduction. A true pioneer, she is one of the most iconic and influential female artists in history — a trailblazer who broke through the male-dominated art world and redefined the boundaries of artistic expression.


Born in Belgrade (former Yugoslavia) in 1946, Abramovic has spent over five decades testing the limits of body, mind, and spirit.

From leading thousands of festivalgoers into 7 minutes of silence at Glastonbury, to walking the Great Wall of China to meet her partner Ulay — each starting at opposite ends —, to her emotional reunion with him in The Artist Is Present at MoMA, where thousands queued for hours to sit across from her, her performances have become legendary.


Now, in a rare and intimate conversation, Marina Abramović joins MC Art Matters host Kendell Geers. The two first met in 1999 at Jan Hoet’s groundbreaking Zeitwenden exhibition in Bonn and have remained close friends and kindred spirits ever since. They share not only a belief in art’s political power but also a deep scepticism of the commercial art world.


This isn’t another art-world talk. No jargon. No pretension. Just two artists in a conversation, reflecting on what it means to transform, heal, challenge, and inspire and provoke. And why, despite everything, they still believe in the power of art.

speaker

Marina Abramovic

Marina Abramovic, born in 1946 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, is without question one of the seminal artists of our time. Since the beginning of her career in Yugoslavia during the early 1970s where she attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade, 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 is 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 one of few still making important durational works.

moderator

Kendell Geers

Kendell Geers is a pivotal figure in contemporary African art, whose powerful works explore themes of identity, resistance, and the complex legacies of history. Born in apartheid-era South Africa, Geers' journey from a working-class family to an artist in exile has profoundly shaped his unique artistic language, defying simple categorization. Geers gained international recognition early in his career, with notable participation in the 1997 Johannesburg Biennale and Documenta 11 in 2002, curated by the esteemed Okwui Enwezor. In 2013, Enwezor further cemented Geers' significance by curating his retrospective at the prestigious Haus der Kunst in Munich. Now based in Brussels, Geers continues to push artistic boundaries, creating works that resonate globally while remaining firmly rooted in his African identity and experiences.
Start
Tue. September 2, 6:30PM
End
Tue. September 2, 9:00PM
Format
TheMerode Talks
Language
English (US)
Guest allowed?
No

Address

Event
Place Poelaert, 6
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Parking
Parking Poelaert, Place Poelaert 1000 Brussels

Detailed programme

Welcome
Tue. September 2, 6:30PM
Conversation
Tue. September 2, 7:00PM
Networking
Tue. September 2, 8:00PM
End
Tue. September 2, 9:00PM

this event is limited to members only

Save the date