Saatchi Yates is presenting an ambitious exhibition by renowned conceptual artist Marina Abramović at the gallery in St. James, London. This landmark show re-imagines two of Abramović’s iconic performance videos – ‘Blue Period’ and ‘Red Period’ – by transforming them from video works into a series of 1,200 individual photographic stills.
Much like Picasso’s Blue Period and Matisse’s Red Period, which marked distinct artistic phases, Abramović’s works delve into the extremes of human emotion, physical endurance, and the symbolic power of colour. In a rare opportunity, each unique still from the series is individually available for acquisition.
In ‘Red Period’, Abramović appears in close-up, bathed in monochrome red. With a seductive smile, she gestures to the viewer with a raised finger-beckoning, teasing, warning. Her expression morphs from coy to confrontational as the screen fades to black, revealing only a fragment of her face. She reemerges slowly, her mood oscillating between allure and fatigue: rubbing her face, yanking her hair, biting her pinkie. The symbolism of red is multifaceted here- beyond referencing energy and vitality, it gestures toward themes of femininity and seduction, even invoking the red light often associated with sex work and anonymity.
In ‘Blue Period’, Abramović is again shown in close-up, this time under a monochrome blue filter. As a looping pop song plays, she expressively bites her fingernails. Her saliva-coated fingertips gleam in the light, rubbing against her teeth. Her gaze flickers between apathetic detachment and raw suffering. The act becomes a visceral choreography of discomfort and tension, with the colour blue evoking emotional coldness, vulnerability, and energy transformation. This piece, like much of her earlier work, tests the boundaries of the body in search of transcendence.
Originally part of her seminal 16-channel installation Video Portrait Gallery (1975-2002), and previously shown in major institutions – first realized at the Kunstmuseum Bern, but was most recently shown at the Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania in 2015 – these videos are radically reborn at Saatchi Yates. By covering the gallery’s walls with these images, the exhibition offers a new way to engage with the artist’s works, inviting the viewer to linger, frame by frame, and experience one of Abramović’s most intimate performances in a new light, creating an archive of stillness and intensity.
| Duration | 01 October 2025 - 31 October 2025 |
| Times | Mon - Sat: 10-6pm Sun: 12-6pm |
| Cost | Free |
| Venue | Saatchi Yates |
| Address | 14 Bury Street, St James's, London, SW1Y 6AL |
| Contact | / info@saatchiyates.com / www.saatchiyates.com/ |