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Marina Abramović

A Visual Biography

  • Art Direction
  • Packaging
  • Publishing

In 2024, numerous global institutions joined in their collective celebrations of the performance artist Marina Abramović – her 50 year legacy championed through a myriad of shows and events. The publication of her book ‘Marina Abramović, A Visual Biography’ marked the occasion.

Totalling 496 pages, the tome presents a deeply personal document. Narrating her early life as a child in former Yugoslavia, to her psychological (and physical) journey to become one of the world’s most important figures in contemporary performance art. Conceived and written with author Katya Tylevich, the publication presents unseen imagery taken from personal archives – accompanied by a transcripted dialogue between Katya and Marina.

HS was commissioned to design this special book. Working closely with artist, author and publisher the final publication is a powerful testament of collaborative endeavour.

Our design approach was structured around three tiers of information; written dialogue, imagery and quotations. A special black ink was printed throughout – eschewing the conventional white page, to allow imagery and words to shimmer in the void, like projected images on a silver screen. Other stills appear full bleed and, on occasions, magnified and grainy. Larger words and anecdotes are used to punctuate the narrative and juxtapose – like film titles. This cinematic approach frames Marina’s extraordinary life story as we travel through time, across continents and through a spectrum of profound self-reflection.

The book was published in two editions, initially the standard edition in red, a year later, the deluxe edition was released. Individually signed and numbered by Abramović. The limited edition was housed in a bespoke pink clamshell box, bound in black leather and featured a limited edition print of new artwork by Marina.

Credits

Published by: Laurence King
Senior Editor: Laura Paton
Design and Art Direction: Hingston Studio
Designers: Jūratė Gačionytė, Tom Hingston
Production: Simon Walsh

Two textured presentation boxes, one pale pink and one black, each with a small black-and-white portrait inset and bold embossed typography.
Black presentation box or book with embossed title Marina Abramović and A Visual Biography over a blurred black-and-white portrait.
Close-up of two textured presentation boxes, one pale pink and one black, with oversized cropped lettering and a pale ribbon bookmark.
Open black spread with a rose-gold ribbon marker and a centred contents list in bold white capitals on the right page.
Stacked red boxes printed with the title “MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ”, each featuring a black-and-white portrait inset and bold diagonal typography.
A red textured book or box with large embossed lettering, a prominent K on the spine and faint text reading WITH KATYA TYLEVICH.

“You need discipline if you want to do what I’m doing now. Without discipline, believe me, you will never make artwork that makes somebody cry. Now I stage the things I am most ashamed of, and I can do it without embarrassment. Shame is the most difficult feeling, but it is also universal. That’s why I think anybody can project my biography onto their own.” — Marina Abramović

Open book spread showing black-and-white profile portraits of a woman and a man linked by a ponytail across the centre fold, framed by a red border.

“My work always comes from life! It isn’t rational. I’m not putting stamps on lemons. I don’t sit and think about what I’m going to do next. I have to be hit by it, afraid of it and obsessed. That’s life, not studio work. To talk about my work you have to talk about my life. This whole book is about life.” — Marina Abramović

Open book spread with a black text page on the left and a grid of monochrome park photographs on the right, edged in red.
Open book spread with bold white “FREE. FREE. FREE.” over a black-and-white protest scene on the left, and a burgundy passport-style cover on the right.
Open book-like spread with grainy black-and-white portraits of two faces in profile almost touching, framed by vivid red striped edges.
An open book with tan pages and red page edges shows bold black typography reading “05” and “SOMEWHERE WEST OF LAKE DISAPPOINTMENT”.
Open book spread with black pages, small paragraphs of text, four colour photos on the left and a large monochrome image with the headline “EVERYTHING BECAME LIKE POETRY.” on the right.
Open magazine spread with a shadowed portrait on the left and bold white text on the right reading “SITTING IN SILENCE, IN MEDITATION, IT TOTALLY PULLED US APART.”
Open book spread with bold opera titles on a black page and a veiled woman in white seated on a red sofa beside a framed mirror.
Open book spread with a black background, red page edges, and large white text reading “I DIDN’T REALIZE HOW CLOSE I WAS.”
Open book spread showing a woman’s face entwined with a large yellow and black snake, framed by a vivid red edge and central gutter.
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Silhouetted figure against a glowing orange background, with spiky black graphic elements radiating around the body and arms.