I squeezed past two naked strangers in a museum

A few weeks ago, I walked through a doorway created by the bodies of two naked performers. And when I say “doorway”, I mean the narrow gap left between the pair, who stood motionless opposite each other, staring into each other’s eyes with blank faces. They would stand like that for hours, flanked by security guards and goggled at by exhibition attendees. I had to stop myself from laughing as I joined the queue – the scene was truly bizarre. When my time came, I straightened my face and shuffled sideways through the doorway, trying not to stand on the performers’ toes. Brushing past them, my body tensed as my clothes touched their skin, and I had to swallow down a gasp of discomfort. It was, simply put, a very strange and very unsettling experience. 

I got to see this artwork as part of a Marina Abramović exhibition that is currently running in Vienna. Abramović is a Serbian artist widely regarded as the grandmother of performance art. She is known for creating and performing political works that demand immense mental and physical resilience. For instance, the doorway performance (titled 'Imponderabilia') lasted three hours when Abramović and her co-creator Ulay originally performed it in 1977. But Imponderabilia is arguably a tame piece compared to some of her other work, in which she sometimes self-mutilated and deliberately put her life in danger. It is no wonder that this exhibition has several trigger warnings and an age restriction. 

As much as I was awed (and disturbed) by the other artworks in this exhibition, it was Imponderabilia that made the biggest impression on me. I was surprised by how visceral my reaction was to it – I felt simultaneously nervous, disgusted and uneasy as I wriggled awkwardly through the gap. But afterwards, standing on the other side of that doorway, I started to wonder how something so simple – the act of walking between two naked people -  had felt so challenging. It wasn’t as if I was the one who was standing stark naked in a public museum. 

But I guess it goes to show how deeply ingrained our perceptions of nudity are. Of course, I would like to think that I can critically view and dismiss societal taboos about human bodies. But who am I kidding – you will probably never find me at a nudist beach. It’s honestly not surprising, considering that I grew up in a culture which arguably carries a lot of shame around nudity. But that is what Imponderabilia encourages you to reflect on. And to be honest, having experienced this artwork, I’d actually recommend it. No, really. One minute of discomfort is rewarded by an odd but satisfying feeling of triumph – as well as a good anecdote to share when someone asks about your weekend.