MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ AND THE INSPIRATION BEHIND IMPRINT
Marina Abramović has devoted her life to exploring the limits of body, spirit, and endurance. Her performances ask what it means to leave a mark - on ourselves, on others, on the world. At KINRADEN, our Imprint collection is inspired by this same idea: that every gesture, every choice, leaves ripples that endure beyond us.
A Life in Performance
Born in Belgrade in 1946, Marina Abramović is often called the “grandmother of performance art.” From the very beginning of her career, she used her own body and mind as her medium, pushing them to physical and psychological extremes in pursuit of transformation. became instruments in her lifelong exploration of vulnerability, and of emotional and spiritual metamorphosis.
The Philosophy of Presence
At the heart of Abramović’s practice lies presence - the unfiltered experience of being, the state of full consciousness and intentionality. By stripping away distractions, she creates encounters where performer and audience meet in direct, unmediated connection. Her performances are not about spectacle but about distillation, creating spaces where silence, vulnerability, and intensity become shared experiences. In works such as The Artist Is Present at MoMA, she invited strangers to sit across from her in silence, transforming a simple encounter into a profound meditation on human connection and the imprint we leave on one another.
Endurance and Transformation
Much of Abramović’s work is concerned with endurance: how far the body and mind can be tested, and what transformation emerges at that threshold. Using her dialogue with an audience as a source of energy, she created ritualistic performances that were both cathartic and liberating. In Rhythm 0 (1974), she invited viewers to use any of 72 objects on her - from a rose and a feather to scissors, chains, and even a loaded pistol. The performance, an essay in submission, continued until the audience’s actions grew too aggressive, at which point it abruptly ended. This chilling piece revealed not only the fragility of the human body but also the darker impulses within collective human behaviour.
The ripples they create in the world
KINRADEN’s Imprint collection is deeply aligned with Marina Abramović’s exploration of presence, humanity, and our responsibility toward the natural world. Her work often examines the tension between violence and silence, the physical and the spiritual, reminding us of the consequences of human actions on the environment. In the same way, Imprint reflects on the delicate balance between humanity and nature. Each piece - combining wood and metal in quiet harmony - is a meditation on simplicity, connection, and the marks we leave behind. Like Abramović’s art, the collection urges us to consider not only our legacy, but the ripples our choices create in the world.
Marina Abramović shows us that every act, no matter how fleeting, leaves its trace. The Imprint collection is a tribute to this truth, celebrating not only the beauty of materials but also the responsibility of presence. To wear these pieces is to carry with you a reminder of the marks we leave - on each other, and on the earth.
With Love,
KINRADEN
