Marina Abramović Brings Balkan Erotic Epic to NYC

Marina Abramović turns 80 in November, and she is marking it with the biggest performance of her career. Balkan Erotic Epic, a four-hour work with nearly 80 performers, comes to Park Avenue Armory in New York from Dec. 8 to 20 for its North American premiere. The piece is for adults only and contains full nudity and graphic sexual scenes, the Armory warns.

What the Armory says it is

According to the Armory, Balkan Erotic Epic is Abramović's largest-scale performance to date and combines dance, song and ritual. It draws on the mythologies, folklore and erotic rituals of the Balkans, where she was born, and unfolds across 13 scenes in the Wade Thompson Drill Hall. Audiences are invited to move freely through the space, encountering what the Armory calls intimate performances, feverish dances and haunting songs.

The Armory says the work treats the erotic as a vital spiritual and life force, stripped of modern associations with pornography or taboo, to reclaim the body as a site of power, mystery and transformation. That is the institution's framing, and critics will judge it for themselves.

The practical details

Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. The run time is approximately four hours, and admission is general admission. Tickets start at $85, including fees. The Armory is at 643 Park Avenue. Its page lists direction and concept by Abramović, choreography by Blenard Azizaj, film direction by Nabil Elderkin, composition by Marko Nikodijevic and Luka Kozlovacki, set design by Anna Schöttl, lighting by Urs Schönebaum and costumes by Roksanda Ilincic.

The work is a commission shared among the Armory and a group of European and Asian presenters, including Factory International in Manchester, Berliner Festspiele and the Ruhrtriennale. The Armory lists two review quotes on its page: The Guardian calls it a thrilling collision of ecstasy and grief, and the Financial Times says it is so atmospheric and rapturous that it defies description. These are excerpts chosen by the presenter, so readers should seek the full reviews.

An artist at 80

Artnet's Min Chen reports that Abramović told her turning 80 is horrible, except for the chance to cut nonsense from her life. She has opened exhibitions at Copenhagen's Cisternerne and at Venice's Gallerie dell'Accademia, and launched an installation at New York's Balloon Museum. She had just finished the Ruhr run of Balkan Erotic Epic, which goes to Berlin in October before New York.

She also has a new book, Long Life, Short Stories, from Rizzoli, published Oct. 6. It gathers stories, drawings and photographs, from her childhood in Belgrade to key moments in her career. She will give a talk at the Rizzoli Bookstore at 1133 Broadway in New York on Oct. 29.

Endurance and the body

Abramović told Artnet that her body, long her medium, is aging. She survived a pulmonary embolism in 2023 and now works six to eight hours a day instead of her usual 24. She described herself as a horse and a bulldozer and said the first time she was paid for a performance was at the Museum of Modern Art, when she was 65. That figure is her own recollection and we have not checked it.

Chen also notes a streak of dry humor in the artist, who finds the clash of ancient ritual and unrestrained sexuality in Balkan Erotic Epic funny and says she reimagined her strict mother as a free-spirited woman.

Why it matters in New York

Abramović has a history with the Armory, which the venue says includes The Life and Death of Marina Abramović in 2013 and Goldberg in 2015. Her 2010 performance The Artist Is Present at MoMA is among the best-known works in New York museum history, and Artnet's story lists it among the photographs from her archive. The December run is a rare chance to see a large ensemble piece rather than a solo endurance work. Because the piece is general admission and about four hours long, audience members should plan for standing, walking and a long evening.

What we could not confirm

We have not seen the piece and rely on the Armory, which is promotional, and one interview. Quotes from The Guardian and the Financial Times come from the Armory page, not from the reviews. We did not confirm the dates of the Berlin run or the end date of the Venice show. Sales status of tickets is not known. Readers should check the content advisory before booking. The cover photograph was taken at the Viennale in 2012.

FAQ

When is Balkan Erotic Epic in New York?

Dec. 8 to 20, 2026, at Park Avenue Armory, Tuesday to Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.

Is it suitable for all ages?

No. It is 18 and over and contains full nudity and graphic sexual scenes, per the Armory.

How long is it?

About four hours, with free movement through the hall.

Sources

*Cover photo: Manfred Werner / Tsui, Wikimedia Commons, *[*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marina_Abramović_-_The_Artist_Is_Present_-_Viennale_2012.jpg*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marina_Abramović_-_The_Artist_Is_Present_-_Viennale_2012.jpg)* (CC BY-SA 3.0).*