But what is art other than revealing human nature?
Interpretation
Art serves as a reflection of human nature and our experiences as individuals.
In this quote, Marina Abramovic suggests that art is not merely about aesthetics or skill; rather, it embodies the complexities of human nature and emotion. It enables artists and viewers to explore and understand the depths of the human experience, revealing insights about ourselves, society, and our intrinsic qualities.
In practice
During an art exhibition, one could say this quote to highlight the deeper meaning behind the pieces.
All the aggressive actions I do to myself I would never dream of doing in my own life - I am not this kind of person. I cry if I cut myself peeling potatoes. I am taking the plane, there is turbulence, I am shaking. In performance, I become, somehow, like not a mortal.
I hate studio. For me, studio is a trap to overproduce and repeat yourself. It is a habit that leads to art pollution.
The function of the artist in a disturbed society is to give awareness of the universe, to ask the right questions, and to elevate the mind.
First of all, to do performance art, you really have to give 100 percent. I only know that I have to give 100 percent and then what happens, happens.
Theatre is fake... The knife is not real, the blood is not real, and the emotions are not real. Performance is just the opposite: the knife is real, the blood is real, and the emotions are real.
I want people to come to me open and vulnerable. When they come to the gallery, they have to leave their watches, their computers, their Blackberrys, iPads, iPhones, because we are so incredibly used to technology, and I wanted to remove that.
Creating a poem is a continual process of re-creating your ignorance, in the sense of not knowing what's coming next.
I personally would like to bring a tortoise onto the stage, turn it into a racehorse, then into a hat, a song, a dragoon and a fountain of water. One can dare anything in the theatre and it is the place where one dares the least.
Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.
I can't read fiction without visualizing every scene. The result is it becomes a series of pictures rather than a book.
Music can be healing, and with my history and my knowledge of both sides of what looks like a gigantic divide in the world, I feel I can point a way forward to our common humanity again.
I won't call my work entertainment. It's exploring. It's asking questions of people, constantly. 'How much do you feel? How much do you know? Are you aware of this? Can you cope with this?' A good movie will ask you questions you don't already know the answers to. Why would I want to make a film about something I already understand?
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