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Average rating4.7
The child of Communist war-hero parents under Tito's regime in postwar Yugoslavia, Marina Abramović was raised with a relentless work ethic. Even as she was beginning to build an international artistic career, she lived at home under her mother's abusive control, strictly obeying a 10 p.m. curfew. But nothing could quell her insatiable curiosity, her desire to connect with people, or her distinctly Balkan sense of humor -- all of which informs her art and her life. Marina's story, by turns moving, epic, and dryly funny, is a vivid and powerful rendering of the unparalleled life of an extraordinary artist --
Reviews with the most likes.
Marina has lived a very full life, she reversed all the suffering in the past and made it the point. To overcome is to live.
She is a person who actually progresses and challenges herself more through the years, it is not hard to see why people idolize her even if she is against the concept. We just don't have many people who would do that and our spiritual experience is so drained today. For example we use popstars to get religion and concerts to get our needs met.
The love stories were very relatable, probably for a lot of people, but Marina found states that are just as powerful and perhaps do not require the same dangerous vulnarability which is so hard to find - two consenting parties who would give themselves their lives.
There is a lot of comedy around tragedy, at the beggining her life is painted very bleak which it was. But the suffering itself is not described in detail which probably makes it way more readable for a wider audience.
There are a lot of healing methods and cultures discussed. She travelled quite a lot. From her earlier notes it seems she did not have the respect to do this, but it evolved into total appreaciation and she dedicates a lot of herself to aboriginals, later monks. She found herself in very interest, different states because of those people.
If you want to hear a story of genuine love, hardship, pain and to overcome this is something you should read.
The fact that performance art or art as a concept doesn't make it to general public is tragic, and creates so much misery that doesn't evolve or go anywhere. We get birthed into a tragedy porn instead of all the posibilities of what we could be and then accept that it can only be a tragedy porn after even learning that fact. We do not experience what is given to us and simply pollute and destroy which is so boring and droll when life can be so much fuller and complex. We choose to surrender to most simple emotions, talk about the most mundane things when such a complex, scary and fullfilling existance is before us. We cannot make perfect decisions with so many wrong ones already in place, but we need to try, to not despise the ones attempting them, and to be inspired.
Her exercises are very interesting and I have attempted some of them after learning of their existence. Ate an onion that was offered on Brothers Karamazov, I feel it as a powerful symbol because I am vegan now for 7 years and it really isn't so difficult as eating an onion. Once I found one on a bench when I was depressed and now I would eat it (not really, it sounds dangerous to eat a random onion left behind someone). It's interesting how onions are becoming a motif for me.
It is comforting to know that there are such hearts and individuals walking around and I will continue looking for them. Thank you Marina for writing the book.