Marina Abramović
On the Erotic
paperback
12 cm x 16 cm
128 pages
English
with texts by Agnes Gryczkowska, Svetlana Racanović, Silvia Federici, Audre Lorde, Mithu M. Sanyal, Elizabeth M. Stephens and Annie M. Sprinkle
edited by Jenny Schlenzka and Julia Grosse
design: Stoodio Santiago da Silva
released in connection with the exhibition Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic. The Exhibition at Gropius Bau, 15.04.-23.08.2026
This is the third title in the book series The Practice – What Moves Artists by Gropius Bau, that invites artists to showcase a practice that they pursue, that has influenced them or that has been with them for a long time.
ISBN 978-3-948546-54-0
Eine deutsche Ausgabe ist hier erhältlich.
For Marina Abramović, eroticism is by no means limited to the romantic relationship between two people, but acts as a collective force in many areas of life. According to the performance artist, erotic energy must find a public form through artistic and political practices in order to prevent it from leading to violence and war.
In her updated work Balkan Erotic Epic, she ironically and provocatively plays with collective longings for an erotic relationship with the community, the land and the cosmos. In doing so, she liberates female eroticism from a patriarchal view that seeks to limit it to reproduction, marriage and motherhood. For Abramović, eroticism is not reserved for youth, but is enhanced by the wisdom and power of age.
In this book, Abramović talks about female sexuality after menopause, the eroticism of the masses and her love for the planet. Selected texts and recipes provide insights into the politics of eroticism, how to brew a magical love potion, the demands of the eco-sex movement and the symbolism of the vulva and its constitutive power for communities.
€10 / $12 / £9