Maybe This Time

"Gifted Generation," Hebbel Theatre, Berlin, Germany, May 20 & 21, 2005; Curated by Marina Abramovic                                                                                                                                                                                             Dressed in a Cabaret-style outfit of faded glamour and heavy theatrical makeup, the artist performs the walk-over chair trick for six hours each night. Drawing from her own background as a never-successful actor/singer/dancer, and her fear of physical risk and injury, the artist presents an intentionally melodramatic piece that also touches upon the changing political climate, referencing the current hubris of the US government, with comparisons to the culture of the early 1970s as well as World War II. After many hours, the artist's muscles weaken, her makeup smears and runs with perspiration. Though she is costumed as a highly theatrical performer, her fear (and her success and failure in completing this endurance task) is all too real.