Comments on: Ordealism: The Art of Suffering

By: Jerald Addy

Jerald Addy — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 07:56:24 +0000

finally watching this season's MadMen finale. damn that Betty. could I dislike her more?

By: Waikiki cane

Waikiki cane — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 07:06:02 +0000

We believed ourselves indestructable, watchin only the madmen outside our frontiers & remained defenseless against our own madmen. -Timerman

By: Cricket9

Cricket9 — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:57:53 +0000

I’ve read the article, I respect her commitment, but I disagree with the Ordealism as art on a visceral level. I don’t have an interest in tormenting anyone with provided “implements” etc. – I wonder who, and more importantly – why, actually participated in the performance as Marina’s tormentors.

By: erika

erika — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:40:09 +0000

Anything can be performance art. Also the exploitation of one’s won emotions is common sense and a fine art at the same time. We are all actors here.
Gosh I sound like an asshole…

By: Sister Wolf

Sister Wolf — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:28:16 +0000

dust and kate – Even though I scoff at her methods, I do respect her for her courage and commitment.

By: Steff Metal » Blog Archive » Linking Horn: 14 March 2010 – Steff Metal

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:03:46 +0000

[...] Wolf over at Goddamit, I’m Mad, considers Ordealism: theperformance art form involving putting your body through pain and [...]

By: lizzifer

lizzifer — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:40:45 +0000

make sure “they” take notice.

By: lizzifer

lizzifer — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:40:04 +0000

Masterbating under a ramp to the sounds of people walking above you, all the while shouting dirty things to make sure take notice that you are masterbating…Sounds like a typical Sunday to me.

By: Juri

Juri — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:44:24 +0000

Advertising “The Artist Is Present” as “the longest durational work ever mounted in a museum” is a challenge for someone to outperform her. I for one am tempted to sit opposite her and after ten hours, when she attempts to leave, show her a cardboard sign saying, “The Artist is present – where the hell are YOU going?”

Ah, and how could I miss her reperforming “a version of ‘Seedbed,’ [Vito Acconci's] masturbation epic, as part of a show at the Guggenheim five years ago.” How did that happen?

And a DVD of Abramovic and Ulay walking “toward each other along thousands of miles of the Great Wall of China” would definitely land on my wishlist if making performance art repeatable were not such an art crime.

Does anyone know how the wall show ended? Is there a sequel where they turn around and walk away from each other “along the thousands of miles of the Great Wall of China?” There should be.

By: kate

kate — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:04:09 +0000

I can’t believe her ex-partner is criticizing her for re-enacting performance art!
Yes, if the re-staging were to be a frequent occurrence–some kind of show on the road–then the performance aspect might lose its immediacy, but to set something up as a piece of art in a museum certainly allows for a retrospective that later echoes it. Why be overly precious with a work that will undoubtedly bring new conclusions every time it is performed? It sounds as if this Uwe is perhaps jealous or overly critical of his ex-lover’s success. Ordealism would seem to call for its participants to harbor (or at least greatly simulate) masochism, and it would seem this opens Abramovic up to the excessive petty criticism of sadists and other insensitive sorts.

Her work is brave and fascinating and a brilliant response to the overwhelming alienation/anomie that even contemplating the wars in former Yugoslavia entails. Like “dust” above I also share Serbian roots and have driven myself sick with grief over the atrocities that happened there, but somehow this type of performance art really addresses the pain unique to war trauma in a way that isn’t crushing or silencing.

The open invitation to make a direct emotional connection with an artist is a fantastic way of bridging the dissonance between anonymous viewer and the artist’s past intent in a non-living work. I would love to see Abramovic’s work to judge its effectiveness.