In 1997, at the Venice Biennale, Marina Abramović scrubbed cow bones soaked in blood. She sang a series of Serbian songs as she did so, each one remembered from her childhood. Her piece, Balkan Baroque, a tribute to the victims of the war in Yugoslavia, went on to win the event. By then, Abramović had already cemented herself as one of performance art’s most eminent forces. Fingers splayed, she participated in a stripped down version of Russian roulette with 20 knives and 2 tape recorders. She had ingested prescription medicines for patients of catatonia, and then counteracted the effects with medications for patients of schizophrenia, permitting the public to witness the ensuing physical toll. And in 1974, she completed her iconic Rhythm 0, a study of the relationship between artist and audience, granting viewers complete freedom to manipulate her body using a collection of 72 objects, including a rose, a feather, honey and a whip.

Pinning down Abramović’s creative practices is a fruitless task. We cannot truly understand the implications of an artist amidst an active crowd, as we cannot surely comprehend the subsequent ramifications and the ways in which they continue to mold Marina’s vision. But, we can appreciate her process.

For the first time in over 40 years, Massimo Dutti’s collaboration with the renowned artist offers the opportunity to explore her approach and its developments stretching across the last four decades. Through a series of Abramović’s own drawings, poetry, photographs, and reflections; a mosaic of creative patchwork unfolds to reveal an unprecedented glimpse into the artist’s creative journey.

At the heart of the collaboration with the Spanish fashion brand lies Abramović’s latest book, Nomadic Journey and Spirit of Places. Chronicling her wandering life and artistic evolution through a collection of archival materials and reflections, the book extends a guiding hand through the creative revolutions of Abramović’s career. It’s a deep dive, or at least as far as one can go, into a complex scheme of consciousness that defies every preconceived notion of the connection between artist and spectator.

“My home was wherever I went because my home was my own body.” 

ーMarina Abromović for Nomadic Journey and Spirit of Places 

In addition to the release of Nomadic Journey, Massimo Dutti and Abramović have partnered to present an exhibition at the Faena Art Project Room, inviting visitors to step into Abramović’s creative mind. Similarly to the book, the exhibition pursues the nomadic themes of constant progress, of not looking back, because in some cases, we simply can’t afford to. At its core, the collaboration reminds us there really is only one way to go, and you really only need one person to do it. 

Complementing the collaboration is a line of limited-edition Marina Abramović x Massimo Dutti merchandise. Massimo Dutti will release only 200 signed copies of the book (better hurry, the internet moves fast), Nomadic Journey and Spirit of Places notebooks in black, a black leather agenda cover, a themed T-shirt in white, and a canvas tote bag.

Abramović, who has been globally recognized as the “godmother of performance art,” inverts the ties between inventor and invented. She fuses them into one: her body as both her medium and her subject. In exploring the relationship between artist and audience, Abramavoić pushes the boundaries of endurance, time and human connection, building a den of discomfort and then forcing us to sit in it. To that, I say pull out your chairs.