“In the performer's body, you don't care how you look. It doesn't matter if you're old, fat, beautiful, or ugly. It doesn't change anything. The only thing is your charisma and how you express your idea.” IfsLooksIdeasMatterBodyCareBeautifulActorsDon't CareUglyFatsPerformersCharisma Author:Marina Abramovic
“If you're a woman, it's almost impossible to establish a relationship. You're too much for everybody. It's too much. The woman always has to play this role of being fragile and dependent. And if you're not, they're fascinated by you, but only for a little while. And then they want to change you and crush you. And then they leave.” IfsWantLittlesPlayWomenRolesToo MuchImpossibleCrushDependentFragileFascinated Author:Marina Abramovic
“There are so many rules in the art world. I don't like rules and I break them all the time. I don't care if people think I'm overexposed. What I care about is if I'm going to run out of energy. Overexposure is only a problem if you are drained of energy and cannot come up with new ideas. Every artist has to recognize that and know when to stop for a moment.” PeopleIfsThinkingKnowsWorldArtIdeasMomentsProblemCareRunningArtistEnergyBreakCome UpDon't CareI Don't CareNew IdeasI CareArt WorldDrainedOverexposure Author:Marina Abramovic
“It's very important that young artists push boundaries, because sometimes you have this urge to do something - like the impulsive and dangerous urges I had as a child - and if you don't follow through with it you might miss out on a developmental experience.” IfsChildrenImportantSometimesMightYoungArtistDangerousMissingBoundariesUrgesImpulsiveFollow ThroughDevelopmentalYoung Artists Author:Marina Abramovic
“If you are really true to yourself and really follow your intuition in the most rigorous way, there is a moment that becomes universal, that reaches everybody. That’s the real magic of Björk-she teaches us the courage to be ourselves.” IfsWayRealMomentsTeachMagicUniversalIntuitionTrue To YourselfReally True Author:Marina Abramovic
“If you see a Renaissance body, this is completely ugly in this time. Everybody has to be skinny. But the Renaissance body with incredible flow of the meat everywhere, it was beauty.” IfsBodyFlowIncrediblesUglyMeatSkinnyRenaissance Author:Marina Abramovic
“You see, what is my purpose of performance artist is to stage certain difficulties and stage the fear the primordial fear of pain, of dying, all of which we have in our lives, and then stage them in front of audience and go through them and tell the audience, I'm your mirror; if I can do this in my life, you can do it in yours.” IfsI CanPainPurposeArtistCertainCan DoAudienceOur LivesStageDyingFrontsPerformancesDifficultyMirrorsYou Can Do ItI Can Do This Author:Marina Abramovic
“The body has an enormous power of healing, if you really believe you are going to be healed, you're going to be healed. If you really believe you're going to die, you're going to die. If you apply this kind of method to everything, then there is hope.” IfsBelieveKindBodyDiesHealingMethodEnormousHealedThere Is HopeHealed You Author:Marina Abramovic
“I think if people raise their consciousness and find a purpose, everybody will be helped.” PeopleIfsThinkingPurposeConsciousnessRaises Author:Marina Abramovic
“If you look at the lives of artists, sitting in nature, painting, having the freedom. I think it's over. I think we're living in such a difficult moment of human development. Artists have more responsibility than ever before.” IfsThinkingHumansLooksMomentsArtistDifficultResponsibilityPaintingDevelopmentSittingHuman DevelopmentDifficult Moments Author:Marina Abramovic
“If we consider art as oxygen in our society, we have to deliver this oxygen.” IfsArtOur SocietyOxygen Author:Marina Abramovic
“Dali Lama said, 'when you open the heart of the person with humor, you can tell him the most truth. But if you tell him truth without humor, the heart closes.'” IfsHeartPersonsSaidLama Author:Marina Abramovic
“When you have so much pain, you think you will lose consciousness. If you say to yourself, ‘So what, lose consciousness,’ the pain goes away.” IfsThinkingPainLosesConsciousness Author:Marina Abramovic
“The experience I learned was that … if you leave decision to the public, you can be killed… I felt really violated: they cut my clothes, stuck rose thorns in my stomach, one person aimed the gun at my head, and another took it away. It created an aggressive atmosphere. After exactly 6 hours, as planned, I stood up and started walking toward the public. Everyone ran away, escaping an actual confrontation.” IfsPersonsFeltHoursDecisionCuttingWalkingClothesGunRoseStuckAtmosphereRanStomachAggressiveConfrontationThornsEscapingStood Up Author:Marina Abramovic
“Your ego can become an obstacle to your work. If you start believing in your greatness, it is the death of your creativity.” IfsBelieveCreativityGreatnessEgoObstacles Author:Marina Abramovic
“I didn't get paid for performances most of my life. If I did, I would be billionaire now, and I'm not.” IfsWould BePerformancesPaidBillionaire Author:Marina Abramovic
“I am not a therapist. I am not a spiritual leader. These elements are in the art: it is therapeutic, spiritual, social and political - everything. It has many layers. But art has to have many layers. If it doesn't, then forget it.” IfsArtSpiritualPoliticalSocialForgetLeaderElementsLayersForget ItTherapistsTherapeuticSpiritual Leader Author:Marina Abramovic
“I had a very difficult relationship with my mother. She used to wake me up in the middle of the night if I wasn't sleeping straight and was messing up the sheets. Now when I stay in hotels I sleep so straight they don't even think I've used the bed.” IfsThinkingUsedMotherNightDifficultSleepMiddleBedHotelSheetsMiddle Of The NightMessing UpDifficult Relationship Author:Marina Abramovic
“I notice if I'm too fat or if I'm too ugly or there's skin hanging or whatever. When my clothes start not fitting, I get really self-conscious about what I eat.” IfsSelfClothesConsciousSkinsUglyFatsSelf ConsciousFittingNot Fitting Author:Marina Abramovic
“If we go for the easy way, then we never change.” IfsWayEasyNever ChangeEasy Way Author:Marina Abramovic
“If you're a baker, making bread, you're a baker. If you make the best bread in the world, you're not an artist, but if you bake the bread in the gallery, you're an artist. So the context makes the difference.” IfsWorldArtistDifferencesBreadGalleryBakers Author:Marina Abramovic
“You know, everyone is always talking about plastic surgery, or the technology, what to do. I really think it's important to help yourself with the technology if you want to feel better, but I am absolutely against any kind of monstrous cuts of the body, lifting that is beyond recognition, this kind of stuff.” IfsThinkingKnowsWantFeelsKindImportantHelpingBodyStuffTalkingTechnologyCuttingRecognitionPlasticFeel BetterSurgeryLiftingMonstrousPlastic SurgeryHelp Yourself Author:Marina Abramovic
