Artist who let strangers ‘do anything to her’ explained chilling reason why she did dangerous experiment

Warning: This article contains graphic content which some readers may find distressing

Art can often be disturbing or controversial but few pieces in history compare to Marina Abramović's infamous 'Rhythm 0' performance back in 1974.

Abramović, a Serbian conceptual and performance artist, rose to fame thanks to her appearance at the Galleria Studio Morra in Naples.

Artists often strive to create something which lasts a lifetime and this particular piece is still being discussed more than 50 years later, as Abramović simply stood in the gallery and let people do whatever they pleased to her, with actions turning darker and darker as her six hours of being stood still progressed.

Now 78, Abramović has done plenty of memorable things in her life, including swapping places with a prostitute in Amsterdam's red light district for six hours and hosting a show where she had nine orgasms in public, but it is her 'Rhythm 0' performance which truly highlighted what humanity is capable of.

As the performance went on, the public's actions became more extreme, leaving the artist in tears (Marina Abramović Institute/YouTube)

Spectators at her show had 72 different items which they could choose and then use on the artist, including razors, knives, scissors and even a gun. There were also other things like honey, bread, wine, and perfume.

She said in a video for the Marina Abramović Institute: "At the beginning, nothing really happened. The public were really nice. They gave me a rose, they would kiss me, look at me, and the public became more and more wild."

Things soon took a turn for the worse as people realised that she was willing to tolerate anything as part of her show, later confessing that she was 'ready to die'.

One person cut off her clothes with a razor meaning she was left nude, while another person held a gun to her head. Her skin was also sliced with the razor and spectators drank her blood, which goes to show what humans are capable of in a microcosm of a lawless society.

Marina Abramović put her own life on the line to explore the extremes of humanity (Joe Maher/Getty Images)

You might well be wondering why someone would put themselves in that situation, even in the name of art, and Marina has previously explained the chilling reason why she was willing to put her life on the line.

She said: "I really wanted to take this risk, and know what is the public about and what they are going to do in this kind of situation."

The experiment was particularly eye opening, she said, once it was over and she stopped acting like a 'puppet'.

She said: "I start moving. I start being myself [...] and, at that moment, everybody ran away. People could not actually confront with me as a person.

"I remember going back to my hotel, looking at myself in the mirror, and I found a big piece of white hair.

"The experience I drew from this piece was that in your own performances you can go very far, but if you leave decisions to the public, you can be killed."

And her experiment clearly had the desired effect, as she was able to explore the extremes of human behaviour and the dynamics of power and vulnerability, by placing herself entirely in the hands of the audience.

Abramović is now considered to be one of the most daring artists of all time and she's continued to produce thought-provoking performances throughout her life.