India distancing from its roots in favour of Western values: Marina Abramovic

Kochi: Renowned performance artist Marina Abramovic on Tuesday said India no longer inspires her as it once did, observing that the country is increasingly distancing itself from its own cultural and civilizational roots in favour of Western values. She was speaking to reporters in Kochi, where she is attending the Kochi–Muziris Biennale to deliver a talk on her art installations. Abramovic said she has long admired Mahatma Gandhi, crediting him as a major influence on her thinking and practice. "He is the only person in the universe that I know who has brought revolution without spilling one drop of blood," she said. Tracing her connection with India to her childhood, the Serbian artist said it was shaped by the friendship between India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and former Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito. She recalled that her early artistic expression took the form of painting, often inspired by images from her dreams. However, repeated sightings of fighter planes flying across a clear sky during her formative years prompted her to reflect deeply on life and existence. Addressing renewed online claims linking her to the ‘Epstein Files', Abramovic dismissed the allegations as baseless. She said the references to her name were a revival of an old controversy with no factual foundation. Clarifying the issue, she said her mention of ‘Spirit Cooking' related strictly to poetry and art and had no connection to allegations of child trafficking. Abramovic said she initially invited Tony Podesta, a long-time collector of her work, to a ‘Spirit Cooking' dinner, and extended an invitation to his brother John at Tony's request. She clarified that John Podesta never attended the dinner and that she never met him. She added that the invitation was sent nearly five years before Hillary Clinton launched her presidential campaign against Donald Trump. The controversy resurfaced in Oct 2016 after WikiLeaks released hacked emails from John Podesta's account, including Abramovic's email referring to the dinner. Reflecting on her early career, Abramovic said, "At the time, I was already doing performance art — when it was not respected, not even considered art. I was fighting from the very beginning." She added, "It took me nearly 62 years to convince the world that performance is art. Today, performance is mainstream — in museums and here at this Biennale." Emphasizing the role of nature in her artistic practice, she said, "You have to go to nature. Nature is everything — the high mountains, the rivers, exploding volcanoes… sitting under a tree with closed eyes. There are the answers, asking you who you are, what your aim is, and what you have to do. Nature is really the biggest teacher that we need to know."