Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic

Marina Abramović's exhibition at Berlin's Gropis Bau focuses on her ongoing interest in rituals, eroticism, death, and the body as a site of political resistance.

– Marina Abramović, Women Massaging Breasts II aus der Serie Balkan Erotic Epic, C-Print, 2005, Serbien

Marina Abramović, one of the most influential performance artists to date, will present “Balkan Erotic Epic” in spring 2026.

Women beat their upper bodies and massage their breasts while a naked body and a skeleton lie tightly entwined: Based on the folklore of the Balkans—the region where Abramović grew up—Balkan Erotic Epic. The Exhibition interweaves cinematic and sculptural installations with live performances. In it, Abramović explores eroticism as a bridge between life and death, connecting the self and the cosmos. Her performances are thus not only acts of personal endurance, but also transformed rituals. The erotic body becomes a vehicle for spiritual, political, and ecological meaning.

Since 2005, the artist has been working on the extensive project *Balkan Erotic Epic*, after which the exhibition is named. For this project, she originally shot a series of videos featuring porn actors and actresses in Serbia. The work is inspired by regional folk tales and songs; the rituals passed down in them are based on the belief that human sexual organs and bodily fluids can have a positive influence on everyday life. Since the beginning of her artistic career, Abramović has been fascinated by nature-based religious rituals—especially by the idea that the human body appears in them not as a private or purely sexual object, but as a collective resource: a medium through which people collectively confront death, ensure fertility, and restore the balance of nature.

Highlight: This show is one of the top exhibitions 2026 in Berlin.

Runtime: Wed, 15/04/2026 to Sun, 23/08/2026

Takes place here:

• Gropius Bau

Next date: Ein Ticket für alle Ausstellungen

• Date Thursday, 23/April/2026 12:00 (22 more dates)
• Venue Gropius Bau
• Address Niederkirchnerstraße 7, 10117 Berlin-Mitte
• Price from €19.30

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