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

The grotesque pertains to a world beyond the ordinary real world, consistently engaging with moral, political, religious, and cultural concepts, and presenting them through strange forms and dissonant combinations and patterns. In doing so, it challenges the norms of conventional reality and familiar juxtapositions. The grotesque, which has for centuries existed on the margins of Western culture and the aesthetic principles that shape it, confronts a condition that is inherently paradoxical and incompatible with established norms. The grotesque has always accompanied humanity, and from the earliest moments in human history, it has been associated with experiences of fear and confusion when confronted with hidden mysteries. Marina Abramović, one of the world’s most renowned female performance artists, using her body goes far beyond the limits and boundaries of fear, pain, exhaustion, and danger in a profound search for new experiences and dynamic effects. Over the past forty years, she has used her own body as both medium and subject, for creating the art and also influencing the audience and testing physical and emotional boundaries. This study explores the concept of ‘experiencing an alternate reality’ in Abramović’s works based on Eva Kuryluk’s theory of the grotesque and seeks to answer the following question: How can the experience of otherworldliness in Abramović’s performances be interpreted through Kuryluk’s grotesque theory? To this end, five performances by Abramović, created between 1973 and 2010, were purposefully selected. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical method with a qualitative approach, relying on library and archival sources for data collection. The findings reveal that in Rhythm 10, Abramović moves the audience from everyday norms to an experience of profound fear and anxiety. By using grotesque elements—such as knives symbolizing malevolent forces—she constructs an alternate reality in which participants confront their own bravery through intentional exposure to harm and psychological spiritual discomfort. In Rhythm 0, Abramović highlights raw terror, chaos, and some of the darker aspects of human nature and soul, such as violence, fear, and cruelty. She employs grotesque contradictions in the juxtaposition of objects (e.g., flowers and weapons), provoking paradoxical responses from the audience. In this work, the themes of fallen redemption, disintegration, and alienation are manifested through the grotesque. In Dragon Heads, she incorporates grotesque serpent-like creatures symbolizing evil and danger as part of her investigation into otherworldly states. Kuryluk interprets the tension between the feminine and masculine as inherently grotesque, and this dichotomy surfaces throughout Abramović’s work. In Balkan Baroque, the artist presents a world of physical and symbolic decay, using grotesque imagery such as a bull’s skeleton, blood, and the jarring contrast with soothing music. This juxtaposition evokes horror, loss, and post-war trauma, confronting the audience with the aftermath of violence. In Holding the Skeleton, Abramović engages with death—a theme inherently tied to the grotesque. By juxtaposing the repulsive image of a skeleton with her living, feminine body, she evokes dread and unease. This performance constructs an alternate reality in which contrasts between life and death, beauty and decay, acquire profound symbolic significance.