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Scene from Balkan Erotic Epic: A group of women stands barefoot in a circle on a field, lifting their heads toward the sky and holding their uncovered chests. Another woman kneels in traditional clothing in the center.
© Marina Abramović. Courtesy of the Marina Abramović Archives.

Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic

German Premiere | 3 – 9  September 2026 | Kraftzentrale, Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord

Dates and Tickets

About the production

Ruhrtriennale presents Balkan Erotic Epic, a daring large-scale four-hour spectacular performance conceived and directed by Marina Abramović, the world’s most influential performance artist.  

Marina Abramović says: 

‘I was born in the Balkan. As a child, I have been exposed to many spiritual rituals in the house of my grandmother which left me with deep and lasting impressions that continue to shape the way I see the world today.

In the past, for so many ancient cultures, procreation and life itself were based on numerous ceremonies aimed at creating an understanding of our existence. By rediscovering this forgotten past, I would like to create a new understanding and context for the public today.’ 

Balkan Erotic Epic is an immersive experience that draws on ancient Balkan myths and Abramović’s unmistakably very personal, unique and direct performance language. 

Audiences move freely through 13 evolving scenes where performers, songs, movement and moments of ceremony form a unity. 

Abramović explores eroticism, spirituality and ritual in this work combining performance, dance and traditional throat singing to explore and enact the eroticism embedded in Balkan mythology. 

It brings together a fevered ritual where men writhe against the ground in a call for fertility, women gesticulating over graves to awaken the earth, and others baring themselves to the sky to banish impending storms. Unfolding as a threshold experience in which body, myth, culture, memory, and eroticism are interwoven, it allows you to step beyond your usual frame of reference. 

Fierce, intimate and ultimately transcendent, Abramović’s most ambitious project to date aims ‘to rediscover the past and our present selves through it’. 

„Balkan Erotic Epic is the most ambitious work in my career.“
Marina Abramović
  • Scene from Balkan Erotic Epic: A person in traditional clothing paints the face of someone lying on a bed, while a large projection of a decorated face appears behind them.
    © Marco Anelli
  • Scene from Balkan Erotic Epic: Performers in traditional clothing dance in the rain and raise their arms to the sky.
    © Marco Anelli
  • Scene from Balkan Erotic Epic: Several white-clad figures sit and stand in a snow-covered setting around a tall black figure with long fringes. The atmosphere feels ritualistic and mysterious.
    © Marco Anelli
  • Scene from Balkan Erotic Epic: Marina Abramović and a man embrace in the center of a dimly lit dining room with red-and-white checkered tablecloths. A man sits singing at a table on the left, while a portrait hangs on the wall behind them and another person sits at the edge of the room.
    © Marco Anelli
  • Scene from Balkan Erotic Epic: A person in white clothing sits on a platform, framed by two oversized penis sculptures. The lighting creates a surreal and symbolic atmosphere.
    © Marco Anelli
  • Scene from Balkan Erotic Epic: A dancer stands on a table, waving a cloth, surrounded by performers and musicians in a lively, ritual-like scene. Several white-clad figures appear on an upper level.
    © Marco Anelli
  • Scene from Balkan Erotic Epic: A person dressed in black lies on the ground surrounded by intense lens flare, with several silver blades arranged fan-like beside their head. The atmosphere feels dramatic and surreal.
    © Marco Anelli
  • Scene from Balkan Erotic Epic: A figure draped in black sits on a throne in front of a wall of projected faces. The atmosphere is solemn and dark.
    © Marco Anelli
  • Scene from Balkan Erotic Epic: Two people lie close together with their heads tilted upward, eyes closed. The background is dark and minimal.
    Delay The Sadness, Héloïse Jocquevile, Johnny McMillan © Marco Anelli
  • Scene from Balkan Erotic Epic: In a tiled washroom, a woman in a red dress stands in a shallow basin while another woman pours a milk like liquid over her. The scene evokes a ritual cleansing.
    Delay The Sadness, Sharon Eyal © Marco Anelli
  • Scene from Balkan Erotic Epic: A person screams with their mouth wide open while holding a knife against their tongue. Strong light-shadow contrasts heighten the dramatic effect.
    Delay The Sadness, S-E-D Dance Company © Marco Anelli

Cast

Balkan Erotic Epic created by Marina Abramović

Artist / Director / Concept / Design Marina Abramović
Associate Director Georgine Maria-Magdalena Balk
Choreographer Blenard Azizaj
Durational Performance Director Billy Zhao
Film Director Nabil Elderkin
Composer Marko Nikodijević
Composer / Sound Designer Luka Kozlovački 
Lighting Designer Urs Schönebaum 
Set Designer Anna Schöttl
Costume Designer Roksanda Ilinčić
Animation Sonia Alcón & Fredrik Nordbeck
Photography Marco Anelli 
Creative Consultant / Singer Svetlana Spajić 
Creative Consultant / Singer Aleksandar Timotic
Performance Artist / Co-Creator of the Role Elke Luyten 
Performance Artist / Co-Creator of the Role Maria Stamenković Herranz
Assistant Choreographer Rowan Schratzberger
Assistant Set Designer Helene Schönebaum
Intimacy Coordinator Tigger Blaize
Costume Collaboration and Supervisor Shanti Freed
Creative Consultant / Executive Producer for Marina Abramović Rafi Gokay Wol
Creative Consultant / Producer for Marina Abramović Yasemin Kandemiroğlu

Visit

  • Age restriction
  • Run time
  • Language
  • Sensory notes
  • Content advisory
  • Information on mobile phone use
  • Accessibility
  • Shuttle service

Directions

Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord
Emscherstr. 71
47137 Duisburg

  • Public transport and Kombi Ticket
  • Directions by car
  • Travelling by bike
  • Site map

Dates and tickets

Tickets for Balkan Erotic Epic are available for €85 (premiere in the presence of Marina Abramović, reduced price €42.50) or €55 (additional dates, reduced price €27.50) in our online shop. Until 2 May 2026, you benefit from our 10% early bird discount.

Termine und Tickets

Kultur Ruhr GmbH
Ruhrtriennale
Gerard-Mortier-Platz 1
44793 Bochum

T +49 (0) 234 97 48 33 00
F +49 (0) 234 97 48 33 39
info@ruhrtriennale.de

Tickets and Informations
Mon–Fri 8 a.m.-8 p.m. / Sat 9 a.m.–6 p.m. / Sun 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
T +49 (0) 221 28 02 10

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