LONDON – An exhibition at The Royal Academy of Arts in London opening on Saturday will feature controversial works by infamous artist Marina Abramović.
Visitors will gain entry by walking between a naked male and a naked female model, and then reach a display of a nude woman in a crucifix position.
There is a separate entrance for visitors who are uncomfortable squeezing through the nude performers.
The exhibition will run until January 1, 2024.
Marina Abramović, 76, is known for pushing boundaries in her art. Some of her most notable works include ‘Rhythm 0’, a work of performance art in which she invited visitors to interact with her using objects such as a bullet and a gun, and a silent vigil at the Museum Of Modern Art in New York, where she sat quietly for three months.
The Marina Abramović exhibition will replicate the concept of ‘The House with the Ocean View’, where Abramović lived in a gallery for 12 days with spectators observing her.
In one of the performances of this exhibition, three women will stay on separate open platforms that are attached to the walls of the gallery for 24 hours a day over 12 days, without speaking and consuming only water.
The exhibition has received mixed reviews, with The Times describing it as a ‘remorseless show’ and The Telegraph suggesting Abramović had ‘egregiously lost her way’.
Performers in the show include a diverse mix of dancers and actresses. Safety precautions will be in place for the 42 performers participating in the exhibition, many of whom are graduates trained in Abramović’s method at her institute in New York.
Abramović told The Observer that a doctor, psychologist, and nutritionist will be on standby.
The Royal Academy of Arts has said the safety and welfare of performers was its top priority. Abramović is the first female artist in the academy’s 255-year history to perform in the main galleries.
Tickets are priced between £25.50 and £27.50 (S$43 and S$46) and are available at the Royal Academy of Arts website.
Due to the nature of the exhibition, individuals under 16 must be accompanied by an adult ticket holder for the event.