So This Happened: Marina Abramović Made a Film With Adidas
Lady Gaga bestie and art world favorite Marina Abramović has partnered with Adidas on a film tied to the World Cup. In it, Abramovic has restaged her 1978 piece, World Relation, for the first time.
First performed by Abramovic and her partner Ulay at the Theatre ann Rijn in the Netherlands, in this new version features 11 performers—representing the 11 members of a football team—working with Abramovic to transport stones from one side of a room to the other, all while wearing white lab coats from the Marina Abramovic Institute, as well as Adidas’ Samba sneakers.
Abramovic told Designboom: “One similarity between performance and sport that I wanted to highlight in this video is the importance of group collaboration … When Ulay and I originally performed the piece Work Relation in 1978, the power of collective strength came through in the performance. I believe that it is important to learn from other disciplines in order to bring new life to whatever it is that you do. this is something at the heart of my institute, MAI, and something that I felt was important to convey in this video, which was itself a collaborative project.”
The partnership adds to the growing list of art world stars partnering with major commercial brands on projects. Jeff Koons, for instance, has teamed up with H&M on a handbag which will be released later this month. Still, these collaborations aren’t without their critics. Artnet wrote of the Abramović and Adidas collab: “Sure, Abramović has been known to collaborate with celebrities like James Franco, Jay Z, and Lady Gaga, but working with a corporate brand like Adidas seems a bridge too far.”
Watch the video below and weigh in with your thoughts!
