The entire Queen Elizabeth Hall – backstage and all – transforms into the set for enthralling durational performances, curated by conceptual artist Marina Abramović and MAI.

The performances use the entirety of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, and is self-led, letting you explore all parts of the building, including the auditorium, Purcell Room, backstage dressing rooms, green rooms, technical spaces and foyer.

The artists have all been invited to make site-specific, long-durational work. They engage with endurance, presence and participation, creating an infinite possibility of encounters between visitors and artists.

The artists featured are: Carla Adra, Collective Absentia, Paula Garcia, Carlos Martiel, Yiannis Pappas, Paul Setúbal, Despina Zacharopoulou, and more to be announced.

Marina Abramović is participating on Wednesday 4 October and Sunday 8 October (session one) and is also present at various other times during the takeover.

Marina Abramović Institute (MAI) presents and supports performance art at a global scale. Through an artist-driven process, the institute maintains both a multidisciplinary approach to performance and a focus on long-durational work.

MAI aims to address the complexity of the present time in order to shift awareness and consciousness of human beings through performance. It promotes interdisciplinary collaboration between practitioners of all disciplines, including art, science, technology, and spirituality.

In 2023, MAI opened its space in Karyes, Greece to support creative processes around performance art and generate collaborative thinking. The institute hosts Cleaning the House, a workshop developed by Abramović to reset the body and help understand one’s physical or mental limits. The workshops are open to public participants coming from any discipline.

Globally, the institute creates communal participatory projects that critically engage with time, place, and human experiences. MAI has presented major performance projects in Sao Paulo (2015), Athens (2016), Kyiv (2017), Bangkok (2018), Istanbul (2020) and Amsterdam (2022).