Marina Abramović

Marina Abramović inaugurated La Cuadra's transformation into a cultural center with a powerful performance of her "An Artist's Life Manifesto." With La Cuadra's iconic pink walls as a backdrop, she read her manifesto aloud while four horsemen circled around her carrying banners bearing the phrase "Art is Oxygen"—a message that resonates with the artist's conviction: in these times of violence and uncertainty, art acts as oxygen—it comforts us and awakens us to our shared humanity. This striking scene fused the building's equestrian heritage with contemporary performance art.

In addition, Abramović, who had not worked in Mexico since the 1990s, conducted "Cleaning the House," an intimate workshop on her method—and synthesis of her 55 years of artistic practice exploring presence in time and space—for 22 Mexican artists, curators, and writers. Within the contemplative architecture of Barragán, where serenity and silence are fundamental principles, the participants—including Guggenheim curator Pablo León de la Barra—performed exercises in the fountain and central courtyard.

Attendees immersed themselves in mindfulness practices under Abramović's guidance. They experienced periods of blindfolded contemplation, honing their perception of subtle sounds in the environment. They also practiced slow-motion movements while wearing noise-canceling headphones. These exercises, performed in spaces carefully designed by Barragán, embraced the introspective nature of the architecture. The workshop took place in complete silence, interrupted only to receive instructions.

As part of La Cuadra's commitment to education, Abramović gave a lecture to more than 150 university students and guests. She shared reflections on the history of performance art, spoke about artists who influenced her work—such as Frida Kahlo and Alejandro Jodorowsky—and explored how performance has influenced other art forms. 

About Marina Abramović

Marina Abramović is one of the most influential performance artists in contemporary art. Throughout her career, she has explored the limits of the body, endurance, and the connection between the artist and the audience. Since her early works in the 1970s, her practice has been marked by absolute dedication, challenging perceptions of art and its relationship with the viewer.

Raised in a strict disciplinary environment in post-war Yugoslavia, she found in performance art a means to explore pain, resistance, and personal transformation. Works such as Rhythm 0 (1974), in which she gave herself to the public with 72 objects that could be used on her body, revealed her interest in vulnerability and latent aggression in human interaction. Together with Ulay, her artistic and romantic partner, she explored the duality and fusion of two bodies in pieces such as The Lovers (1988), their final farewell after walking the Great Wall of China from opposite ends.

Her consecration came with The Artist is Present (2010), a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, where she remained silent for three months, looking into the eyes of each visitor who sat in front of her. This piece consolidated her status as an artist capable of transforming presence into a powerful experience. In recent years, she expanded her artistic language into opera with 7 Deaths of Maria Callas (2020), where she reinterpreted the tragic deaths of the iconic soprano in an act of homage and personal catharsis. In 2023, she became the first woman to have a major retrospective at the Royal Academy of Arts, reaffirming her impact on contemporary art.

Abramović continues to push the boundaries of performance art and explore new ways of connecting with audiences, keeping her work in constant evolution.

Photographs—

1. Heroine II, 2001. Courtesy of the Marina Abramović Archives.
2. Marina Abramović intervention at La Cuadra. Fabian Martinez.
3. Marina Abramović intervention at La Cuadra. Fabian Martinez.