Marina Abramović: Review of Thrilling Balkan Saga – A Thrilling Collision of Ecstasy and Sadness | platform

FActory International’s Aviva Studios was created to do something like this. It is a space designed for volume, flexibility and form-defying experimentation, all of which apply to performance artist Marina Abramovic’s ambitious, austere and sprawling new show, which dominates the entire space of the venue’s vast warehouse space.

The four-hour show gives audiences a journey through the folklore and rituals of the Balkans, bringing together traditions from across the region. There is dancing, singing and a variety of amazing uses for the human body, from fertility ceremonies to wedding preparations. This ritual is represented through live performance and projected films, which are structured across 13 scenes designed to be experienced by freely roaming audience members. Some are time panels, repeating and accumulating, while others reach a peak and then reset. Maria Stamenković Herranz navigates it all as Abramović’s strict mother, who looks on with dismay but curiosity.

The focus is on the Balkans as much as it is on the erotic. Yes, there are naked bodies and giant penis sculptures, but Abramović resists simple titillation. Nudity here is ritual, not pornographic. A chorus of growling women raise their vaginas to the sky in an attempt to scare the gods and stop the rain; Nude figures dance with skeletons to mourn their dead husbands. On the other hand, the more obvious traditions – a woman inserting a fish into her vagina to make a love potion, or a groom poking holes in the bridge to ward off impotence on the wedding night – are represented through screen animation, narrated by a “scientist” character.

There is death as much as there is sex, ecstasy mixed with sadness. The show opens with a eulogy for the funeral of Yugoslav communist leader Josip Broz Tito, who looms large in many scenes. Elsewhere, corpses are hoisted onto pedestals, and men and women dressed in traditional dress perform a gruesome funeral dance.

The erotic and the satisfying collide powerfully in The Black Wedding: a stunning scene in which a dead unmarried young man symbolically joins a young woman. In a manner characterized by intensity and commitment throughout the performances, the black-clad dancers violently throw themselves at each other and the floor.

If we are left to wander through all these strange and powerful scenes, the experience can sometimes be overwhelming. Rhythmic screams, groans and cheers waft through the cavernous space, often drawing attention away from what’s happening in front of you. But as the performance goes on, Abramović and her team skillfully direct the audience to specific areas, building group scenes that give the evening a satisfying shape, rather than just a haphazardly arranged collection of curiosities.

It is rare and exciting to see an artist working on this scale. The thrilling Balkan saga is an endurance test for performers and spectators alike, but the unpredictability makes it worth it in the long run.