Matthew Barney’s Cremaster Cycle is a series of films, photographs, installations, sculptures, and drawings creating an allusion to the position of reproductive organs. There are five films and each one represents a stage of male testes from ascended to descended.
Marina Abramovic uses herself as performance art. Her piece The Artist Is Present is herself sitting at a table allowing spectators to sit silently and stare back. The viewer is allowed to sit with Abramovic as long as they wanted. Every visit is documented and available for viewing. I find it interesting to look to see the amounts of time people spend with the artist.
Both the artists use the body as an art form. Matthew Barney uses the reproductive system as a concept for his films. Marina Abramovic uses her body as art. In her piece, she sits and stares at the viewers as a performance. She is more interactive in her art than Barney. He uses actors/actresses and physical objects to create an anatomical allusion. So, both artists reference body parts, but only Abramovic uses her physical self. The viewers experience both the works by watching, but Abramovic is interactive in the sense that the viewers can sit down with her.
