The Author Is Present

Abstract

This chapter looks at aesthetic and existential aspects of authorial death in the context of stage and performance. Referencing Marina Abramović’s performance ‘The Artist Is Present’ in the title foregrounds not only the artistic, but also the ontological aspects of authorial presence and absence. Abramović’s work is seen as particularly relevant for this discussion as it involves the notion of death of the author/artist on several levels: (a) of physical near-death experience of the artist in performance, (b) as ars morienidi, and (c) as afterlife through re-performances. Even though Abramović  positions performance in opposition to theatre as real vs. fake, the chapter argues that her work is not entirely without artifice and theatrically.