“Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present” (2012) is an entrancing documentary about the life and work of famed Serbian artist Marina Abramović, as she prepares for her titular 2010 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
This wonderful biography serves up equal parts personal history, exposition of her artistry as it has evolved over time, and presentation of her ultimate achievement: a 736-hour performance where she ensconced herself silently in a chair and allowed museum-goers to sit before her wordlessly, one at a time. It’s an ostensibly peculiar concept made enchanting and invigorating by the background insight into Abramović’s creative mind and creative process that the film conveys so earnestly.
Abramović's passion for ingenuity and her transcendence beyond the traditional constraints of “art” pours forth through her words and actions—an utter virtuoso of striking sensuality and inspired vision. Highlighted be supreme direction and cinematography by Matthew Akers and Jeff Dupre “The Artist is Present” is an absolute must-see.
View the trailer: