The Balkans

The Balkans is a geographical region in Southeast Europe. It has a complex history – and therefore contested cultural and historical definitions – but the following modern-day states are generally considered part of the Balkans: Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and the lands of former Yugoslavia – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia.

The first human settlement in Europe was found in the Balkans (in modern-day Romania and Serbia) and the region has passed through the hands of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. In the twentieth century, parts of the region experienced Communist rule, with the formation of Yugoslavia after World War I. The dissolution of Yugoslavia in the 1990s saw countries in the Balkans declare independence after a series of bloody wars, leading to the Balkans as we know them today.

Who is Marina Abramović?

An iconic performance artist whose work pushes the limits of body, mind and audience connection, Marina Abramović was born in 1946 in Belgrade, then part of Yugoslavia. Raised in a strict and politically prominent family during the communist rule of Josip Tito, her early life was marked by order, religion and silence. Art became her outlet. She enrolled as a student at the Academy of Fine Art in Belgrade, first training as a painter.

By her twenties, Marina was already breaking away from the traditional path and experimenting with performance which led her across Europe, and then the world. For over five decades, Abramović has staged daring acts that question endurance, intimacy and trust – transforming live art into unforgettable, life-altering encounters.

Returning to Manchester with a brand-new work, she has called Balkan Erotic Epic “the most ambitious work in my career”.  Find out more about Marina’s story in our Introduction to Marina Abramović.

Who was Tito?

One of the scenes in Balkan Erotic Epic is Tito’s Funeral.  Josip Broz Tito was the leader of Communist Yugoslavia – he led the partisan resistance against the Nazis in World War II, then ruled as president for 35 years, and is credited with uniting the different cultures and ethnicities in the Balkans.

His death in 1980 is regarded as the spark of the regime's downfall, which ultimately led to the violent Yugoslav wars and dissolution of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Tito’s wife – or rather widow – Jovanka Broz also appears throughout Balkan Erotic Epic, as does Marina’s mother Danica Abramović who pays her respects in the funeral scene.

A Family Affair

Marina Abramović’s parents, Vojo and Danica Abramović, were partisans during World War II – fighting against the occupying Nazis. Her father Vojo was a war hero who took part in the liberation of Belgrade in 1944.

After the war, Vojo was appointed to the Tito Escort Battalion – an elite guard to protect the president, while Danica worked in the cultural industries, where she acquired artworks for public buildings, becoming the head of Yugoslavia’s Museum of Art and Revolution in the 1960s.

Rites and Rituals

Balkan Erotic Epic celebrates many myths, rituals and rites from throughout Balkan history. Over time the region has been influenced by different cultures and religions including Christianity and Islam, as well as pagan beliefs. Its rich cultural history and Balkan mythology informs Balkan Erotic Epic.

Wedding day preparation rituals – including some still practiced today – and mourning rites sit side by side. There are recipes and ‘magic potions’ passed down the generations – tonics and rituals for keeping your lover, ensuring success in war and encouraging fertile crops. Together, they encompass hundreds of years of history and mythology, drawing on the raw power of the body.

The Kafana

In Balkan Erotic Epic, The Kafana Complex is a Balkan-style café-bar in the middle of the set. The beating heart of any Balkan town or village, traditionally a kafana falls somewhere between a pub, restaurant, music venue, tavern and public living room.

Marina’s kafana is home to different performances, grieving rituals and celebrations – a place where life’s moments, great and small, are mulled over and celebrated. Živeli! (Cheers!)