Marina Abramović Embraces Extreme Longevity as Her New Art Form
In a visually arresting promotional video, Marina Abramović’s latest wellness venture begins with a poetic gesture: neon paint pours over her hands. Next, it pours over the hands of her friend, Dr. Nonna Brenner, an anti-aging and holistic health expert who runs an Austrian longevity and wellness center.
This wellness center is unique. It’s shockingly small. The care? It’s as personalized as can be. For example, Brenner cooks the food herself for patients who dine alongside her own family members. The view? Pristine mountains as far as the eye can see. Here, patients work with fitness trainers and massage healers, enjoy saunas, practice detoxes, and heal their bodies and minds.
Brenner, on her official website, says her unconventional methods helped Abramović recover from Lyme disease.
Abramović’s-Brenner’s Artistic Collaboration
Next, in this promotional video, in true Abramović fashion, the imagery that follows is slow, simple, and purposeful.
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Marina Abramović Embraces Extreme Longevity as Her New Art Form
8 min read
·
Jun 3, 2024
In a visually arresting promotional video, Marina Abramović’s latest wellness venture begins with a poetic gesture: neon paint pours over her hands. Next, it pours over the hands of her friend, Dr. Nonna Brenner, an anti-aging and holistic health expert who runs an Austrian longevity and wellness center.
This wellness center is unique. It’s shockingly small. The care? It’s as personalized as can be. For example, Brenner cooks the food herself for patients who dine alongside her own family members. The view? Pristine mountains as far as the eye can see. Here, patients work with fitness trainers and massage healers, enjoy saunas, practice detoxes, and heal their bodies and minds.
Abramović and Brenner, used with permission from MB Communications Ltd
Brenner, on her official website, says her unconventional methods helped Abramović recover from Lyme disease.
Abramović’s-Brenner’s Artistic Collaboration
Next, in this promotional video, in true Abramović fashion, the imagery that follows is slow, simple, and purposeful.
Abramović and Brenner slowly reach out to shake hands. Hands that remain covered in paint in an artistic gesture perhaps symbolizing the fusion of art and science.
It’s a mere blink of an eye time-wise, yet one could arguably write an entire dissertation on it.
I’ll try, but really really quickly.
Source: Still frame from Marina Abramović Longevity Method YouTube video | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG5bjD1Zhgs
One hand? It’s coated in vibrant yellow, reminiscent of Big Bird living his best life in an 80s nightclub. Another hand? It’s coated in vivid blue, akin to what can be described as nothing else besides an acid-laden Smurf.
As these colors — so vivid in tone, they pierce the soul — blend together, they shift, with somber suddenness.
As the women shake hands, the paint mixes into one to create a murky brown mixture that drips down Abramović’s and Brenner’s hands like tainted lava. Once blue and green — colors of the sea, the grass, the sky, and trees — is now just, well, the color of muddy mud. Of the Earth. Where everything begins and everything ends.
Finally, to close out the video, vibrant paint-laden fingerprints appear in the background, perhaps symbolizing the two women’s individual and joint touch on the ever-evolving wellness journey.
End of dissertation attempt. Here’s the short video:
The Secret to Longevity is…Here?
The goal of this collaboration? Three words. Achieve. Ultimate. Longevity.
As the now 77-year-old Abramović said, in a 2018 Facebook video highlighting a visit to Brenner’s center, “I want to be 110.”
She’s perhaps desiring to extend the beauty of life for as long as possible and remain happy, healthy, and peaceful at heart. More specifically, to leverage Brenner’s health and wellness expertise to create a new product line.
Abramović’s New Longevity and Wellness Line
Launching on June 9, 2024, the first limited-edition products of Abramović Longevity will soon be available, for U.K. shipping only at the time of this writing, in collectible, individually numbered boxes.
Three products. Liquid supplements for immunity, energy, and anti-allergy.
Used with permission from MB Communications Ltd
In true art-meets-science style, these boxes will have packaging with the literal fingerprints of both Abramović and Brenner, in a nod to their paint-covered hands in the promo video. Says the official press release, this touch — pun intended — is intended to “symbolically add their seal of approval on each box.”
These products cost £99.00 each and are designed to align with the body’s natural rhythms, using ingredients rooted in centuries-old Tibetan medicine.
“Take 50–60 drops two times a day — with food and water,” the official website instructs regarding its liquid supplements.
Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash
The Wellness Market? It’s Often Disingenuous.
The wellness, holistic healing, and relatedly, the beauty markets have seen many celebrity entries and failures.
For example, Jennifer Lopez launched a skincare line promising her youthful glow, but it was pulled from Sephora stores.
Why?
In my opinion, the marketing was perhaps disingenuous. The line was newly launched, so it wasn’t something Jennifer could have been using for a long time, although she claimed it was her ultimate long-time beauty secret. Videos of Jennifer claiming she used her skincare products daily were questioned, as people wanted to know her beauty tips before the launch. In a YouTube video on Jennifer’s channel where she was first announcing her new skincare products, she couldn’t remember the product prices, raising doubts about her involvement in the pricing — a key element for many consumers and fans wanting to support her. Additionally, her website, when you went to buy a product, pushed a subscription delivery model instead of allowing one-off purchases.
In short, many believed it was another cash grab.
Photo by michela ampolo on Unsplash
This is just one example, yet, it reverberates across the industry for others also looking to get into the health, wellness, and/or beauty space. Abramović, and truly, anyone else like her in the public eye launching a new health, wellness, or beauty product, likely will face consumer concerns, solely because of the industry’s nature.
In contrast to some backlash Jennifer Lopez has faced — backlash she even addressed on her YouTube channel — Abramović says on her website and in the company press release that this product launch is so much bigger than just a launch. It’s part of her greater life mission to push the boundaries of art and human endurance.
Jennifer Lopez? Perhaps her product simply sold, well, her. The ability to look like her. Is Abramović’s product different? Selling the ability to feel vibrant and youthful, also like her? Selling more of a larger-than-life mission?
In many ways, this question barely matters, though. This is because whenever the media hears phrases like “the formulation is designed to…enhance daily wellness,” like on Abramović’s website, it generally tends to have a nasty kneejerk reaction. Something something, snake oil. Something something, Goop 2.0. Something something, *loud eye-roll* save your cash. Something something, this ingredient doesn’t do anything in particular that’s noticeably beneficial.
So now, a new question: Can this new launch disrupt that kind of reaction?
A Snapshot of the Media’s Reaction
Upon cursory glance, the media’s reaction to Abramović and Brenner’s wellness venture appears to be a factual report of the products being sold, press release style, or an immediate dismissal of anything and everything the launch represents. Regarding the latter, here are some examples:
- “Marina Abramovic is now selling $125 garlic chili. … She insists the outlandish products are legitimate.” — The Daily Mail
- “White bread and white wine? The world-famous performance artist shares her anti-aging secrets.” — artnet, shunning the ingredient list
- The line, which includes a face product as well as three ‘immune, anti-allergy, and energy drops,’ was developed in collaboration with Nonna Brenner, a holistic healer and practitioner of an Austrian wellness retreat who was born in Kazakhstan, where she received her medical degree — according to a video on her website that does not elaborate as to where she got said degree, beyond ‘the very heart of Asia.’ — Hyperallergic
- “You will have to be at least a bit above median income to afford the early access Marina Abramović Longevity Method Face Lotion, now available early-access for £199 (~$252). If you can’t afford this, you could try other aspects of the Abramović oeuvre that are completely free, such as going for a nice long walk.” — Hyperallergic
The above points are valid. Consumers interested in this product arguably should seek answers to questions such as:
Who is Brenner and what are her credentials? Should I trust her?
Why was this line created?
Is this product too expensive for my liking or do I think the cost is worth the value?
Do these ingredients work? Are they effective? How much of each ingredient is present in the product, like a trace amount versus it being an active ingredient?
All valid questions. Something consumers should indeed be asking, especially with Google being at — pun again intended — our fingertips.
Of course, many people will already have opinions in place.
I don’t want to support another influencer or celebrity skincare line with my own dollars.
The promise of longevity is a broken one.
I don’t understand performance art, holistic wellness, etc. and therefore I don’t support this.
But, what’s interesting is that in the meantime…TikTok and ‘Gram culture? It’s dominating the wellness space. Right now, it’s all about Gen Z’ers buying expensive face creams because they worship social media filters.
Wrote Plaster Magazine last January, “The purchasing power of teenagers has caused a moral panic. Charm bracelets and handheld consoles have been swapped for retinol and niacinamide as tweens swarm the aisles of Boots and Sephora; ritual acts of dress-up evolving from awkwardly applied blue eyeshadow and a mother’s oversized heels, and into £40 vials of Vitamin A1.”
They buy expensive products because they saw it on TikTok. If Taylor Swift or Beyonce said they used “x” holistic skincare line, it would be sold out in the blink of an eye.
The Future of the Wellness Industry
If you must know only one thing about Abramović, it’s that she has practiced taking 20 minutes to drink a glass of water. This concept of slow living is credited by Lady Gaga with helping her quit smoking. Imagine the contrast between a person engaging in this mindful act versus a typical modern-day activity of endlessly scrolling through skincare ads on TikTok within the same 20 minutes.
We must live more like Abramović. The artist? She’s present.
Abramović and Brenner slowly reach out to shake hands. Hands that remain covered in paint in an artistic gesture perhaps symbolizing the fusion of art and science.
It’s a mere blink of an eye time-wise, yet one could arguably write an entire dissertation on it.
I’ll try, but really really quickly.
One hand? It’s coated in vibrant yellow, reminiscent of Big Bird living his best life in an 80s nightclub. Another hand? It’s coated in vivid blue, akin to what can be described as nothing else besides an acid-laden Smurf.
As these colors — so vivid in tone, they pierce the soul — blend together, they shift, with somber suddenness.
As the women shake hands, the paint mixes into one to create a murky brown mixture that drips down Abramović’s and Brenner’s hands like tainted lava. Once blue and green — colors of the sea, the grass, the sky, and trees — is now just, well, the color of muddy mud. Of the Earth. Where everything begins and everything ends.
Finally, to close out the video, vibrant paint-laden fingerprints appear in the background, perhaps symbolizing the two women’s individual and joint touch on the ever-evolving wellness journey.
End of dissertation attempt. Here’s the short video:
The Secret to Longevity is…Here?
The goal of this collaboration? Three words. Achieve. Ultimate. Longevity.
As the now 77-year-old Abramović said, in a 2018 Facebook video highlighting a visit to Brenner’s center, “I want to be 110.”
She’s perhaps desiring to extend the beauty of life for as long as possible and remain happy, healthy, and peaceful at heart. More specifically, to leverage Brenner’s health and wellness expertise to create a new product line.
Abramović’s New Longevity and Wellness Line
Launching on June 9, 2024, the first limited-edition products of Abramović Longevity will soon be available, for U.K. shipping only at the time of this writing, in collectible, individually numbered boxes.
Three products. Liquid supplements for immunity, energy, and anti-allergy.
In true art-meets-science style, these boxes will have packaging with the literal fingerprints of both Abramović and Brenner, in a nod to their paint-covered hands in the promo video. Says the official press release, this touch — pun intended — is intended to “symbolically add their seal of approval on each box.”
These products cost £99.00 each and are designed to align with the body’s natural rhythms, using ingredients rooted in centuries-old Tibetan medicine.
“Take 50–60 drops two times a day — with food and water,” the official website instructs regarding its liquid supplements.
The Wellness Market? It’s Often Disingenuous.
The wellness, holistic healing, and relatedly, the beauty markets have seen many celebrity entries and failures.
For example, Jennifer Lopez launched a skincare line promising her youthful glow, but it was pulled from Sephora stores.
Why?
In my opinion, the marketing was perhaps disingenuous. The line was newly launched, so it wasn’t something Jennifer could have been using for a long time, although she claimed it was her ultimate long-time beauty secret. Videos of Jennifer claiming she used her skincare products daily were questioned, as people wanted to know her beauty tips before the launch. In a YouTube video on Jennifer’s channel where she was first announcing her new skincare products, she couldn’t remember the product prices, raising doubts about her involvement in the pricing — a key element for many consumers and fans wanting to support her. Additionally, her website, when you went to buy a product, pushed a subscription delivery model instead of allowing one-off purchases.
In short, many believed it was another cash grab.
This is just one example, yet, it reverberates across the industry for others also looking to get into the health, wellness, and/or beauty space. Abramović, and truly, anyone else like her in the public eye launching a new health, wellness, or beauty product, likely will face consumer concerns, solely because of the industry’s nature.
In contrast to some backlash Jennifer Lopez has faced — backlash she even addressed on her YouTube channel — Abramović says on her website and in the company press release that this product launch is so much bigger than just a launch. It’s part of her greater life mission to push the boundaries of art and human endurance.
Jennifer Lopez? Perhaps her product simply sold, well, her. The ability to look like her. Is Abramović’s product different? Selling the ability to feel vibrant and youthful, also like her? Selling more of a larger-than-life mission?
In many ways, this question barely matters, though. This is because whenever the media hears phrases like “the formulation is designed to…enhance daily wellness,” like on Abramović’s website, it generally tends to have a nasty kneejerk reaction. Something something, snake oil. Something something, Goop 2.0. Something something, *loud eye-roll* save your cash. Something something, this ingredient doesn’t do anything in particular that’s noticeably beneficial.
So now, a new question: Can this new launch disrupt that kind of reaction?
A Snapshot of the Media’s Reaction
Upon cursory glance, the media’s reaction to Abramović and Brenner’s wellness venture appears to be a factual report of the products being sold, press release style, or an immediate dismissal of anything and everything the launch represents. Regarding the latter, here are some examples:
- “Marina Abramovic is now selling $125 garlic chili. … She insists the outlandish products are legitimate.” — The Daily Mail
- “White bread and white wine? The world-famous performance artist shares her anti-aging secrets.” — artnet, shunning the ingredient list
- The line, which includes a face product as well as three ‘immune, anti-allergy, and energy drops,’ was developed in collaboration with Nonna Brenner, a holistic healer and practitioner of an Austrian wellness retreat who was born in Kazakhstan, where she received her medical degree — according to a video on her website that does not elaborate as to where she got said degree, beyond ‘the very heart of Asia.’ — Hyperallergic
- “You will have to be at least a bit above median income to afford the early access Marina Abramović Longevity Method Face Lotion, now available early-access for £199 (~$252). If you can’t afford this, you could try other aspects of the Abramović oeuvre that are completely free, such as going for a nice long walk.” — Hyperallergic
The above points are valid. Consumers interested in this product arguably should seek answers to questions such as:
Who is Brenner and what are her credentials? Should I trust her?
Why was this line created?
Is this product too expensive for my liking or do I think the cost is worth the value?
Do these ingredients work? Are they effective? How much of each ingredient is present in the product, like a trace amount versus it being an active ingredient?
All valid questions. Something consumers should indeed be asking, especially with Google being at — pun again intended — our fingertips.
Of course, many people will already have opinions in place.
I don’t want to support another influencer or celebrity skincare line with my own dollars.
The promise of longevity is a broken one.
I don’t understand performance art, holistic wellness, etc. and therefore I don’t support this.
But, what’s interesting is that in the meantime…TikTok and ‘Gram culture? It’s dominating the wellness space. Right now, it’s all about Gen Z’ers buying expensive face creams because they worship social media filters.
Wrote Plaster Magazine last January, “The purchasing power of teenagers has caused a moral panic. Charm bracelets and handheld consoles have been swapped for retinol and niacinamide as tweens swarm the aisles of Boots and Sephora; ritual acts of dress-up evolving from awkwardly applied blue eyeshadow and a mother’s oversized heels, and into £40 vials of Vitamin A1.”
They buy expensive products because they saw it on TikTok. If Taylor Swift or Beyonce said they used “x” holistic skincare line, it would be sold out in the blink of an eye.
The Future of the Wellness Industry
If you must know only one thing about Abramović, it’s that she has practiced taking 20 minutes to drink a glass of water. This concept of slow living is credited by Lady Gaga with helping her quit smoking. Imagine the contrast between a person engaging in this mindful act versus a typical modern-day activity of endlessly scrolling through skincare ads on TikTok within the same 20 minutes.
We must live more like Abramović. The artist? She’s present.
Abramović poignantly states on her website regarding her “why” for this launch: “With the rapid development of technology, if we human beings don’t embrace simplicity in our lives, we will be lost. We have lost our spiritual center.”
The essence of her message is clear: the journey to wellness is not just about the products we use, but about reconnecting with our inner selves, embracing simplicity, and finding our spiritual center.
If someone prefers to find their spiritual center alongside the Alps swallowing down 50 drops with water twice each day before cold plunges and massages until further notice, go for it.
We can all be our own artists. We can all be present. No matter the journey to get there.
About the author: Reverend Yugen Bond is creator, producer, and host of the Enough-ism Podcast.
Business inquiries: enoughismpodcast@gmail.com