Rhythm 0: A Slide Show 2021 -

Someone sticks thorns from the rose stem into her stomach. Another person uses the scalpel to cut the skin of her neck and arms. They drink the blood.

They lift her onto the table. They spread her legs. They insert a metal rod into her vagina. They cut her clothes completely off with the razor blade. rhythm 0: a slide show

In 1974, the Serbian artist Marina Abramović asked that question not with words, but with her own body. The result was a six-hour performance piece called Rhythm 0 — and it remains one of the most disturbing, essential works of art ever created. Someone sticks thorns from the rose stem into her stomach