When Marina Abramović, a daring performance artist, embarked on a deeply unsettling experiment in 1974, she had no idea just how far people would go. For six intense hours, she stood motionless in a gallery in Naples, allowing spectators to do anything they wished to her, completely without repercussion.

Marina Abramović experiment started out tame but took a sinister turn

The experiment was a way to investigate human behavior and the power of crowd mentality when the usual limits of punishment were removed. Marina stood still for six hours at the gallery, ready to endure whatever the audience decided to inflict upon her.

She placed 72 different objects on a table next to her with a note that simply read, “There are 72 objects on the table that one can use on me as desired. Performance. I am the object… During this period I take full responsibility.” The objects ranged from benign items like a rose, feather, and grapes, to more ominous items like scissors, a scalpel, nails, and even a gun and bullet.

Initially, the observers were hesitant, unsure of how far they should or could go. Spectators started with gentle gestures, adorning her with flowers and planting kisses on her cheek. However, as time passed, the atmosphere shifted and the experiment took a dark turn.

Art critic Thomas McEvilley, who witnessed the entire performance, recounted, “It began tamely. Someone turned her around. Someone thrust her arms into the air. Someone touched her somewhat intimately. The Neapolitan night began to heat up.”

After three hours, the benign actions of the spectators devolved into aggression and harmful behavior. One spectator used a razor blade to cut her clothes from her body, leaving her nude, and another used the same blade to cut her skin.

McEvilley further detailed the horror: “Her throat was slashed so someone could suck her blood. Various minor sexual assaults were carried out on her body. She was so committed to the piece that she would not have resisted rape or murder.”

Among the more harrowing moments, a knife was placed dangerously between her legs, and a gun was pointed at her head, with her own finger placed on the trigger.

Despite these terrifying acts, some spectators chose to show compassion, protecting her from harm, wiping away her tears, and even fighting off those who were being too aggressive.

Throughout the ordeal, Marina remained steadfast, refusing to show fear. After the performance, she reflected on the limits of human behavior and how far people are willing to go when given complete freedom. She acknowledged that she was ready to sacrifice her life for the sake of knowledge.

Marina explained, “I start moving. I start being myself […] and, at that moment, everybody ran away. People could not actually confront me as a person.” The lesson from her performance was stark: In her own words, “In your own performances, you can go very far, but if you leave decisions to the public, you can be killed.” Reflecting on the entire experience, she admitted, “I was ready to die.”