This month, Marina Abramović will re-enact one of his most famous performances, The Artist is Present, for an auction to benefit Ukraine. Currently up for auction on the Artsy platform is the possibility of being photographed alongside Abramović at the Sean Kelly gallery in New York, where works by the artist are currently on display. The photograph will be taken by Marco Anelli, who photographed more than 1,500 people who visited the Museum of Modern Art 12 years ago for the opportunity to sit opposite the artist.Winners will receive a framed copy of the photograph signed by Abramović and Anelli, as well as the photographer's 2021 book, Portraits in the Presence of Marina Abramović. All proceeds from the sale will go towards Direct Relief's efforts focused on Ukraine.
In a statement, Sean Kelly said: “We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and are deeply concerned by Putin's invasion and the unspeakable suffering it has unleashed on the Ukrainian people, stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and are deeply concerned. ” The Serbian performance artist was one of the first to criticize Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has so far killed more than 1,500 civilians, according to the United Nations. In October, the artist installed the Crystal Wall of Crying monument at the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center in Kiev, where thousands of Jews were killed by the Nazis during World War II. Earlier this month, a Russian missile hit the site, killing five people and damaging a building the center planned to use for a new museum. Abramović's memorial was not damaged, the gallery confirmed. Days after the start of the war, Abramović published a video in solidarity with Ukraine in which he spoke about being born in the former Yugoslavia, a nation that was once invaded by the Soviet Union. In the video, she called the Ukrainian people "proud, strong and dignified".
“I stand in full solidarity with [the Ukrainian people] on this impossible day. An attack on Ukraine is an attack on all of us. It is an attack on humanity and it has to be stopped.” - stated Marina abramovic
