Otherworldly Experience in Abramović's Works Based on the Theory of Grotesque by Kuryluk

The Grotesque has always accompanied humanity, and from the earliest moments in the history of humankind, it has been an experience intertwined with fear and confusion when confronting hidden mysteries. In experiencing the mystery of a subject, there exists a distinction between its intention and purpose. The audience becomes an inseparable part of what they observe; however, there remains a difference between what lies within themselves and what they confront. The dominant culture of Christianity, the state, and foundational beliefs and values faced opposition. A peripheral culture emerged through the actions and movements of groups that challenged the legitimacy of religion and state laws, academic arts, piety, sanctity, established structures, rituals, and formal historical narratives. Marina Abramović, the world’s most famous female performance artist, pushes her body beyond the limits of fear, pain, exhaustion, and danger in a profound search for new experiences. Over the past forty years, Abramović has used her body as a tool to test physical and emotional limits, with the body always serving as both the medium and subject of her art. In various ways, her artistic practice has been a challenge to passive spectatorship, a challenge that reflects a form of rebellion against her strict upbringing in Yugoslavia. By breaking the boundary between spectator and performer in her performances, Abramović empowers herself through the discomfort and confusion of her audience. In her work, she seeks to challenge the audience by disrupting conventional frameworks and mainstream culture, confronting them with hidden counter-worlds in her art and exposing them to an alternative reality. These works often involve placing herself in serious danger and engaging the audience in prolonged and physically harmful performances. This study aims to explore "Experiencing an Alternate Reality in Abramović’s Works Based on Kuryluk’s Grotesque Theory" and seeks to answer the question: How can the experience of an alternate reality in Abramović’s works be analyzed according to Kuryluk’s Grotesque theory? To this end, five of Abramović's works performed between 1973 and 2010 have been purposefully selected. This study is descriptive-analytical, conducted with a qualitative approach, and employs library and archival sources for data collection. The findings reveal that in her performance "Rhythm 10," Abramović transitions the audience from everyday norms to an experience of profound fear and anxiety. By employing Grotesque elements such as knives used in service of malevolent forces, she confronts an alternate reality where individuals challenge their own courage through deliberate exposure to harm and distress. In "Rhythm 0," Abramović aims to showcase profound terror, turmoil, and the more horrifying, frightening, and even savage elements of human nature. To achieve this, she utilizes the Grotesque inherent in the contrast and contradiction of the objects used, eliciting contradictory reactions from the audience. The structure of the Grotesque can create an experience of a counter-world that raises the audience’s awareness of their own existential contradictions, challenging them against their capabilities. In "Rhythm 0," the fallen redemption, disintegration, and alienation are manifested through the Grotesque.