Last Saturday (3), Serbian artist Marina Abramović arrived in the city of Água Preta, in the Mata Sul region of Pernambuco, to inaugurate her first public work in Brazil. Entitled “Generator”, the installation is part of the collection of Usina de Arte, an artistic and botanical park formed by 33 hectares, located in the district of Usina Santa Terezinha (PE).
Generator, Marina Abramović. Credit: Andréa Rêgo Barros.
Composed of a black wall of monumental dimensions and 12 clusters of rose quartz from Minas Gerais, the work aims to promote interaction between the public and the crystals, alluding to the idea of a large energy generator. Measuring 25 meters long, 3 meters high and 2.5 meters wide, the sculpture functions as an attempt to restore individuals’ ability to connect with nature. “At this moment of turbulent human history, we live in a time of war, violence, poverty and warming of our planet. Rapid technical development has moved us away from nature and we have lost the ability to use intuition, telepathy and remember our dreams. We have lost our spiritual center”, comments Abramović.
Generator, Marina Abramović. Credit: Andréa Rêgo Barros.
This idea of reflecting on society and trying to connect it with the earth again was inspired by the performance The Lovers (The Great Wall: Lovers at the Brink), developed by the artist in 1988. On that occasion, Abramović walked along the Great Wall of China with her then companion, the German artist Ulay, building a journey of pilgrimage and introspection. Following this same line, “Generator” is made to be experienced, more than just watched. Rose quartz, known for transmitting calm, clarity and passion, is placed on the wall so that visitors can rest their hearts, stomachs and heads, acquiring the energetic charge that the stone emanates.
The Lovers (The Great Wall: Lovers at the Brink)
Abramovic’s spiritual search for Brazil did not come about so recently. In the documentary “Espaço Além – Marina Abramović e o Brasil”, released in 2016 and available on Amazon Prime streaming, the artist’s relationship with different spiritual manifestations of the country’s culture is presented. Experiences such as shamanism rituals in Chapada Diamantina or Candomblé in Bahia were important for the construction of this new work.
Located in a recently expanded part of Usina da Arte – a project that combines a botanical garden and an open-air museum, designed by Ricardo and Bruna Pessôa de Queiroz -, “Generator” continues the notion of valuing bodily expressions and organic materials developed by artist throughout his career.