Marina Abramović unveils alabaster sculpture at Masterpiece London

Marina Abramović is presenting a new sculpture, 'Five Stages of Maya Dance', at Masterpiece, the luxury art, antiques and design fair in London (June 28 – July 4, 2018). The work consists of five 3D alabaster panels combining performance, photography and digital technology, depicting the artist's face. The panels appear to shift and decompose as the viewer moves, creating an illusion of performance. Abramović chose alabaster for its history and permanence, stating: 'At this point in my life, facing mortality, I decided to capture my performance in a more permanent material than video or photography.' The sculpture is presented by Lisson Gallery in the Masterpiece Presents section for large-scale works, and was produced in collaboration with Factum Arte, a company specializing in digital mediation and art production with offices in Madrid, London and Milan. Factum Arte noted the alabaster's translucency and tonal relief produce optical effects. The work results from multiple studio visits, 3D scanning experiments, and reflections on the ephemeral versus the permanent.