Ruhrtriennale 2026 presents Marina Abramović – pre-sale for Balkan Erotic Epic starts on December 9

Ruhrtriennale 2026 presents the German premiere of Marina Abramović's latest performative work, Balkan Erotic Epic. Pre-sale for this immersive performance epic starts on December 9 at 10:00 a.m.

Marina Abramović is one of the world's most important performance artists. The four-hour version of her latest work will be presented at the Kraftzentrale in Duisburg starting September 3, 2026. Balkan Erotic Epic combines live performances with cinematic and sculptural installations, exploring the connection between eroticism, spirituality, and folk traditions through ritualized dance, song, and embodied practices.

“In today's culture, we refer to everything erotic as pornography,” says Marina Abramović. "Balkan Erotic Epic is the most ambitious work of my career. It gives me the opportunity to return to my Slavic roots and culture, to look back on ancient rituals and to explore sexuality in relation to the universe and the unanswered questions of our existence. With this project, I want to show poetry, despair, pain, hope, and suffering, and reflect on our own mortality."

The production is brought to life by around 40 performers – including dancers, musicians, and singers – and unfolds in thirteen scenes, each based on rituals, legends, and beliefs from the Balkan region. The audience is invited to move freely through the space – with spontaneous encounters that interrupt the action, including intimate performances, feverish dances, and haunting songs.

Balkan Erotic Epic draws on folklore and traditions handed down from Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and the culture of the Roma, focusing on eroticism – not as provocation, but as a vital spiritual force that connects life and death.

This extraordinary new work marks an important moment in Marina Abramović's career and offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience the full power of her creative vision in an ambitious, immersive performance.

Further information and tickets will be available from December 9 at 10:00 a.m. at www.ruhrtriennale.de/en. Image material is available for download at ruhrtriennale.de/en/press.

The Ruhrtriennale 2026 will take place from August 20 to September 20.

Balkan Erotic Epic has been commissioned by Ruhrtriennale, Factory International, Berliner Festspiele, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Park Avenue Armory and WestK. It is produced by Factory International. Following the world premiere in Manchester, Factory International will present Balkan Erotic Epic to international co-commissioners, starting in Barcelona in January 2026.