Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic
Experience the raw, unfiltered power of Balkan folklore in a new immersive show from Marina Abramović.
Factory International, the organisation behind Manchester International Festival and the city’s landmark cultural space Aviva Studios, presents the world premiere of Balkan Erotic Epic - a large-scale new work created by internationally-renowned artist Marina Abramović (9-19 October 2025).
Regarded as the world’s most influential performance artist, Abramović’s transformative work has reached millions of people – from opening the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival to taking up residence in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Now she creates one of her most ambitious shows ever here in Manchester.
A four-hour ritual where ancient myth meets performance art, Balkan Erotic Epic explores the eroticism, spirituality and traditions of Abramović’s homeland through 13 visceral scenes. Brought to life by a cast of over 70 performers - including dancers, musicians and singers - the production unfolds across thirteen visceral scenes, each drawing on rituals, legends and beliefs from the Balkan region. Audiences are invited to navigate the performance freely – with pop-up encounters punctuating the action including intimate performances, feverish dances, and haunting songs.
From ‘Fertility Rite’, a fevered ritual where bodies writhe against the ground in a desperate call for fertility; to ‘Massaging the Breast’, where women gesticulate over graves to awaken the earth to ‘In Scaring the Gods’, where women bare themselves to the sky to banish storms, the work invites audiences to reclaim the body as a site of power, mystery and transformation
Unafraid to push the boundaries of eroticism and performance art, Balkan Erotic Epic asks its audience a timeless question: What are our bodies truly for? Unflinching, intimate and sacred, with Balkan Erotic Epic Abramović reclaims the body as a site of power, mystery and transformation.
Marina Abramović will be giving an exclusive artist talk celebrating the world premiere of Balkan Erotic Epic at Aviva Studios on Saturday 11th October (4-5pm).
In addition to the performance, Balkan Erotic Epic: The Installation provides an opportunity for audiences to go behind the scenes and experience the set design and key works from the production at their own pace- from fertile forests to Balkan bathtubs and a life-size café.
Venue details
- Address:
- Aviva Studios
- Water Street
- Manchester
- M3 4JQ