Rhythm 0 is not a performance about a woman standing still. It is a performance about a civilization that looks away. It asks the question that remains unanswered forty years later:
The Abyss of Permission: Deconstructing Agency, Atrocity, and the Audience in Marina Abramović’s Rhythm 0
Critics (such as art historian Thomas McEvilley) argue that Abramović did not, in fact, have the right to abdicate responsibility. The sign said “I take full responsibility,” but a person under psychological duress cannot give informed consent. Once the crowd turned violent, her ability to withdraw consent (by saying “stop”) was functionally impossible—she was pinned by social pressure and physical intimidation. Furthermore, the presence of a loaded pistol meant a single mistake could have ended her life. Many argue that the artistic statement was not worth the risk of actual death.
Conversely, defenders argue that the ethical lapse was the point . Abramović’s body was the sacrifice required to reveal the truth about human nature. Without the real danger, the performance would have been theater. Because the gun was real, the cuts bled, and the humiliation was sincere, the audience’s response is authentic data. Rhythm 0 is a diagnostic tool: it tells us that under the right conditions, you will participate in atrocity. You will not stop the man with the gun. You will hold the coat but not end the experiment. The ethical failing belongs to the audience, not the artist.
Rhythm 0 is often taught alongside the and Milgram’s obedience studies (1963) . However, Abramović’s work offers a crucial distinction: there was no authority figure demanding obedience. The audience was self-authorizing.
The initial audience was respectful, even protective. People moved cautiously, avoiding eye contact with the artist. They used the feather to tickle her neck. A man offered her a rose. A woman wiped her face with a cloth. There was a palpable sense of contract —a belief that because the artist was watching, they would behave. However, the first rupture occurred when a man placed the scissors against her throat to cut her sweater. When she did not flinch, the spell of mutual respect broke. The audience realized: She is not going to say no.