This past fall I watched a documentary called “The Artist is Present” which follows the performance artist Marina Abramovic as she prepares for the largest art exhibit of her career at MOMA.  A clip from the video went viral on the internet twice this year and last year, before I got a chance to see the documentary.  Since I was so moved by the clip, the documentary intrigued me when it popped up in my suggestions of movies to watch on Netflix.  I was intrigued by the performance art of eye gazing because of my experience in eye gazing as a teenager, as a former student of the Meisner Technique and now as a student of improv.  The eyes help us focus on the person standing in front of us and connect deeply to each other.  This piece really got me to think of the lack of disconnect and the longing we have for a deep connection.

The documentary outlines Ms. Abramovic’s career which is fascinating.  And it discusses her long-term romantic relationship to her performance artist Ulay, who was not only her lover, but best friend and they created some of their best works together.  This video is a clip of them reuniting 22 years after their breakup.  So much is said  between the two of them without a word even being spoken.

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