An artist who once famously allowed the public to do “anything to her” during a performance has now revealed why she experienced nine orgasms during a separate, equally provocative piece.
Known for constantly challenging the boundaries of performance art, 78-year-old Marina Abramović has stunned the internet once again by sharing intimate details about one of her boldest recreations — a performance that ended with her having nine public orgasms.
For context, Abramović is no stranger to extreme artistic expression. In one of her most notorious works, she stood still for six hours in a Naples gallery while strangers were invited to use any of 72 objects laid out before them — including a scalpel, scissors, and even a loaded gun — to interact with her however they chose.
So what came next was only in line with her legacy of pushing limits.
During her 2005 Seven Easy Pieces series at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, Abramović ventured into overtly sexual territory by recreating Vito Acconci’s 1972 piece Seedbed. In the original performance, Acconci lay hidden beneath a wooden ramp in a gallery, masturbating for hours while narrating his sexual fantasies over speakers to unsuspecting visitors above.
Staying true to the original, Abramović performed the same act: hidden beneath a ramp, masturbating for hours as pre-recorded audio played out her erotic fantasies to the audience walking above her.
So, what motivated her to take on such an explicit piece?
According to NY Arts, she told the Guggenheim curator that she was drawn to both the “taboo element” and the “sculptural element” of Acconci’s work. In a later interview with New York Magazine, she admitted, “Having orgasms publicly, being excited by the footsteps above me — it’s really not easy, I tell you! I’ve never concentrated so hard in my life. The absence of the public gaze — only the sound — was the hardest part.”
She added, “I heard people had a great time up there; it was like a party! I ended up having nine orgasms. It was terrible for the next piece — I was completely exhausted!”
Speaking to Art Monthly, Abramović explained that Seven Easy Pieces was born out of frustration. “For years, performance wasn’t anyone’s territory. Now suddenly, everyone — even Lady Gaga — was borrowing from it without referencing the original works,” she said. To reclaim performance art’s roots, she legally obtained permission to restage key historical performances with full ethical rigor.
She also acknowledged the gendered complexity of reinterpreting Seedbed. “This one is very complicated because men produce sperm, but a woman produces something else,” she noted.
Reflecting on the deeper meaning of orgasm, Abramović described the experience as almost spiritual: “Such an important moment,” she said. “[It] can make you feel alive, connected to nature, birds, rocks, trees — everything becomes luminous and beautiful.”
Whether or not her work resonates with everyone, Abramović undeniably continues to capture the world’s attention through her fearless exploration of human experience.
