Marina Abramović will revisit the region that shaped her early life through Balkan Erotic Epic, the largest production of her career. Balkan Erotic Epic opens at Park Avenue Armory on December 8 and will run until December 20, 2026, giving New York audiences their first opportunity to experience the full four hour work.
EXHIBITIONS
The North American premiere coincides with Abramović’s 80th birthday and marks Abramović’s first New York presentation in over ten years. Her return carries a personal connection to the material. She grew up in Belgrade under communist rule as part of a politically prominent family, and the production draws elements from that history into its examination of Balkan identity, mythology and ritual.
Abramović said her return to her Slavic roots showed her how closely these ancient rituals connect with grief, hope and tenderness. She explained that the Wade Thompson Drill Hall offers one of the few venues capable of accommodating the complete version she originally envisioned.
She first addressed the subject in a 2005 video project. Two decades later, she has developed those ideas into thirteen scenes that occupy the Armory’s 55,000 square foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall. Nearly 50 dancers, musicians and singers will perform among films, sculptures and animation as visitors determine their own routes through the set.
That format replaces a single viewing sequence with simultaneous encounters. One visitor may reach a funeral lament while another watches a fertility ceremony or hears regional singing elsewhere in the hall. Dance, sound and physical action connect the separate sections, while the labyrinthine design gives each scene its own setting.
Marina Abramović examines how ancient communities linked the human body with nature, fertility, death and love. The work treats eroticism as a sacred life force and separates it from current associations with pornography and taboo. Its rituals address grief, desperation, suffering, hope and tenderness through customs from the Balkan region.
“Fertility Rite” interprets a ceremonial appeal for fertility, while “Massaging the Breast” examines a custom intended to awaken the earth. “Scaring the Gods” addresses attempts to banish storms through physical and vocal ritual. A funeral lament introduces regional traditions surrounding grief and death. It also examines the tradition of a black wedding, a ceremony that symbolically connects a deceased unmarried man with a young woman during his funeral.
By returning to my Slavic roots in this chapter of my career, I have found that these ancient rituals, while erotic in nature, are deeply connected to universal themes of grief, desperation, suffering, hope, and tenderness. I want audiences in New York and beyond to leave feeling more deeply connected to themselves and our collective humanity. – Marina Abramović
Other sequences feature a knife dance, a ceremonial milk bath and detailed face painting. Black grass covers a set informed by Balkan Brutalist architecture. Large projections and sculptures create separate environments inside the Drill Hall, while the costumes range from ornate regional garments to minimal contemporary clothing.
The production also brings Abramović’s family and Yugoslav history into its cast of characters. Abramović appears as herself, alongside figures representing her mother, Danica Abramović, former Yugoslav leader Josip Tito and his widow, Jovanka Broz. Their inclusion connects public history with the artist’s memories of Belgrade.
Rebecca R. Robertson, founding president and executive producer of Park Avenue Armory, said Abramović continues to challenge accepted social conventions through an expansive artistic vision.
Marina Abramović developed the project with creatives from the Balkans and collaborators who have contributed to her previous productions. Albanian choreographer Blenard Azizaj directs the choreography. Serbian designer Roksanda Ilinčić created the costumes, while Serbian composers Marko Nikodijević and Luka Kozlovački developed the score. Kozlovački also created the sound design, combining electronic music with brass band traditions and throat singing.
DSCENE Interview with Marina Abramovic
Georgine Maria Magdalena Balk serves as associate director, Billy Zhao directs the durational performance and Anna Schöttl designed the set. Urs Schönebaum created the lighting after working on Abramović’s Goldberg at the Armory in 2015. Nabil Elderkin directs the film material, following projects with Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, SZA and Dua Lipa. Sonia Alcón, Fredrik Nordbeck, Natascha Jacobson, Gideon Prins and Lynn Hatzius created the animation. Rowan Schratzberger serves as assistant choreographer and stager.
The event continues Abramović’s relationship with Park Avenue Armory. The venue hosted Robert Wilson’s The Life and Death of Marina Abramović in 2013 and Goldberg in 2015. Factory International in Manchester introduced Balkan Erotic Epic in 2025. Engagements followed at Ruhrtriennale, Berliner Festspiele and Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu, with the latter institutions presenting stage editions.
Deborah Warner, artistic director of Park Avenue Armory, said the production shows that Abramović continues to develop her practice during the sixth decade of her career. Warner also connected the project with Abramović’s sustained interest in the presence of performance within daily life throughout history. She expects the transformation of the Drill Hall will inspire awe, surprise and reflection.
Performances will take place Tuesday through Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m., with tickets starting at $85. From December 9 through 19, the Armory will open the set, films, sculptures and animation as a daytime installation from noon to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Installation admission costs $30 and remains free for Armory members. Abramović will join an artist talk on December 10 at 5:30 p.m.
North American Premiere – A Park Avenue Armory Commission
BALKAN EROTIC EPIC
Marina Abramović
December 8 – 20, 2026
Artist, Direction, Concept, Design Marina Abramović
Associate Direction Georgine Maria-Magdalena Balk
Direction of Choreography Blenard Azizaj
Durational Performance Direction Billy Zhao
Film Direction Nabil Elderkin
Composition Marko Nikodijević
Composition, Sound Design Luka Kozlovački
Lighting Design Urs Schönebaum
Set Design Anna Schöttl
Costume Design Roksanda Ilinčić
Animation Sonia Alcón, Fredrik Nordbeck, Natascha Jacobson, Gideon Prins, Lynn Hatzius
Assistant Choreographer, Stager Rowan Schratzberger
Commissioned by Park Avenue Armory; Factory International, Manchester; Berliner Festspiele; Gran Teatre del Liceu; Malta Festival; Poznań; Ruhrtriennale; Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg; and WestK Performing Arts, Hong Kong.
Produced by Park Avenue Armory and Factory International
PERFORMANCES
Tuesday – Saturday at 7:00pm
Sunday at 3:00pm
TICKETS start at $85 (including fees)
INSTALLATION
December 9-19
Tuesday – Saturday: 12:00pm-4:00pm
Closed on Sundays and Mondays
TICKETS: $30 (including fees) Free for Park Avenue Armory members
ARTIST TALK: MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ
Thursday, December 10 at 5:30pm
TICKETS: $30 (including fees)
