Renowned performance artist Marina Abramović is set to premiere her latest and most ambitious work, Balkan Erotic Epic, in Manchester this October. The immersive production will be staged at Aviva Studios from October 9 to 19, produced by Factory International.
Balkan Erotic Epic features a cast of 70 performers, including dancers, musicians, and singers, across 13 scenes that re-enact ancient Balkan sexual and fertility rituals. These performances delve into themes of eroticism, spirituality, mortality, and humanity’s connection to ancestral traditions. Notable scenes include “Scaring the Gods,” where women lift their skirts to the heavens to ward off rain; “Fertility Rite,” depicting naked bodies writhing against the ground in a plea for fertility; and “Massaging the Breast,” exploring rituals aimed at awakening the earth.
Abramović, 78, describes the work as a return to her Slavic roots and a long-held dream. She aims to reframe these rituals not as pornography but as essential, poetic expressions of life. “Through this project, I would like to show poetry, desperation, pain, hope, suffering, and reflect our own mortality,” she stated.
The production invites audiences to navigate the experience freely, engaging with pop-up encounters and intimate performances. Following its Manchester debut, Balkan Erotic Epic will tour internationally to cities including Barcelona, Berlin, New York, and Hong Kong. Tickets for the Manchester run are currently on sale for Factory International members, with general sales opening on May 29.
Abramović is known for challenging boundaries in performance art, often using her own body to test the limits of physical and mental endurance. Her previous works have explored similar themes, but Balkan Erotic Epic represents a new, more ambitious endeavor. The production is based on folklore and ancestral traditions from regions including Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Montenegro, as well as Roma and Traveller cultures. The aim is to present eroticism not as taboo but as a vital spiritual and life force.
John McGrath, artistic director and chief executive of Factory International, expressed honor in hosting the premiere, describing Abramović as “one of the most influential artists of our time.” He added, “This new performance work offers an unmiss … —bold, immersive, and on a scale that’s totally … .”
Balkan Erotic Epic is poised to be a landmark event in contemporary performance art, inviting audiences to engage with ancient rituals through a modern lens.
