Marina Abramović unveils Venice piece May 24

Marina Abramović used a May 24 interview in *The Star* to frame her new Venice exhibition around participation rather than spectatorship, describing a show that asks visitors to engage physically with the work. The exhibition, “Transforming Energy,” opened on May 6 at the Gallerie dell’Accademia di Venezia during the 61st Venice Biennale Arte and runs through Oct. 19, according to the museum. (gallerieaccademia.it) The Serbian-born, New York-based artist turns 80 this year, and the Accademia says the exhibition makes her the first living woman artist to receive a major exhibition at the museum. (labiennale.org) In the interview, Abramović said she is trying to shift “the focus from artist to audience” at a time of “constant distraction.” ### What exactly did Abramović unveil in Venice? “Transforming Energy” is a large museum exhibition built around interactive installations, historic works and new pieces created for Venice, according to the Gallerie dell’Accademia. (thestar.com.my) The museum said the show spans both its permanent collection galleries and temporary exhibition spaces. Visitors are invited to use what the museum calls “Transitory Objects” — stone beds and structures embedded with crystals — by lying, sitting or standing on them. The museum says those encounters are meant to activate what Abramović calls “energy transmission.” (gallerieaccademia.it) ### Why is audience participation central to this show? Abramović told *The Star* that the exhibition is designed to move attention away from the artist and toward the viewer. The museum description matches that approach, saying the visitor’s body is placed “at the center of the work” and that the show favors presence and participation over passive observation. (gallerieaccademia.it) The exhibition continues a method Abramović has used for decades, in which endurance, vulnerability and direct audience encounter are part of the artwork itself. (gallerieaccademia.it) The Accademia said new works in Venice extend that long-running exploration. ### Which older Abramović works are part of the exhibition? The Gallerie dell’Accademia said the exhibition includes works such as *Imponderabilia* (1977), *Rhythm 0* (1974), *Light/Dark* (1977), *Balkan Baroque* (1997) and *Carrying the Skeleton* (2008), alongside projections of early performances. *The Star* also reported that the show includes a re-enactment by other artists of one of her best-known performances. (thestar.com.my) A second focal point is *Pietà (with Ulay)* from 1983, which the museum said is presented in dialogue with Titian’s *Pietà*. (gallerieaccademia.it) The Accademia described that pairing as part of the exhibition’s exchange between Abramović’s performance practice and Venice’s Renaissance holdings. ### How does this connect to Venice specifically? Venice is not a new setting for Abramović. *The Star* said she won the top prize at the 1997 Biennale Arte, and Abramović told the paper she had been coming to Venice since childhood with her mother, who worked for Yugoslavia’s culture ministry. (gallerieaccademia.it) The Biennale itself opened on May 9 and runs through Nov. 22 across the Giardini, Arsenale and other Venice venues, according to La Biennale di Venezia. Abramović’s exhibition is presented during that broader international art exhibition but is housed at the Gallerie dell’Accademia. (gallerieaccademia.it) ### If someone is going now, what are the dates that matter? May 6 is the opening date for “Transforming Energy,” and Oct. 19 is the closing date listed by the Gallerie dell’Accademia. The 61st Venice Biennale Arte runs from May 9 to Nov. 22, according to the Biennale’s official site. (thestar.com.my) For visitors in Venice during the Biennale period, the next concrete stop is the Gallerie dell’Accademia, where Abramović’s exhibition remains on view through Oct. 19 as Biennale Arte 2026 continues through Nov. 22. (gallerieaccademia.it) (labiennale.org)