Marina abramović
Serbian 1946-present
Born in tumultuous Serbia, then a part of Yugoslavia, Abramović embarked on a mostly solo-performance career from the 1970s onward, in which she subverted the traditions of stage performance by producing a series of provocative, experimental and often self-endangering works that explored the nature of sexuality, pain and even social behaviour. This was often reflected in the actions of her audience members, who would frequently become a part of her nontraditional performances. Her fame was only magnified by the advent of social media, and she is still very active in exploring humanity through performance today.
Abramović, surrounded by fire, once fell unconscious during a performance. It took the audience a while to realise it wasn’t part of the show