The name of performance artist Marina Abramovic appears in the latest tranche of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, released by the US Justice Department on Friday.
Abramovic is not accused of any wrongdoing, and the documents do not link her to any criminal activity involving the late financier and convicted sex offender.
Her name appears in a communication between John Brockman and Epstein, in which Brockman praises her work. The document is available in the Justice Department’s public records.
“I had a fascinating meeting with Marina Abramovic and HUO last week,” the email states. “I went down to the Sean Kelly Gallery to see her piece which is amazing. Check it out.”
The message continues: “It turns out that in addition to being the premiere performance artist, she is, according to HUO, an accomplished, and high value lecturer on the art circuit.”
Brockman added that the plan included Abramovic giving a lecture that could evolve depending on the audience. He also said she had asked him to write profiles of attendees in advance. “She’s asked me to write a profile on each of the attendees so she can be prepared,” the message reads. “I can send her articles about Tony; you, however, are far more mysterious and intriguing. Is there any press on you I can forward?”
The appearance of Abramovic’s name in the documents has prompted strong reactions online. “Jeffrey Epstein emails prove that Marina Abramovic, an artist widely known for her ‘Spirit Cooking’, invited celebrities to view her performances,” one person wrote. The post also claimed that she had partnered with Microsoft, Bill Gates’ company.
Microsoft later removed an advertisement featuring Abramovic after she was accused by some of promoting Satanism. Bill Gates, the company’s founder, has also been mentioned in the Epstein documents. Another online post said: “This did not bother anyone in the elite circles as Marina Abramovic reached the peak of her career and built a global cult of deviance.”
Abramovic has previously rejected claims that her work is linked to Satanism. In a 2016 interview with ARTnews, she said: “Anybody who wants can read my memoirs and find out that [my work] is far away from Satanism…. My work is really more about spirituality and not anything else. I’ve been doing my work for so long, and this is a misunderstanding.”
The allegations stem in part from a 1987 performance titled Spirit Cooking, in which Abramovic wrote phrases in pig’s blood. She later published a book of recipes linked to the performance, which included symbolic instructions involving violent imagery.
According to ARTnews, her biographer has said that interpreting the work literally would be a misunderstanding of her intentions.
Abramovic is a Serbian conceptual artist whose work has often focused on endurance and long-duration performances, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s. In a 2016 documentary, she said: “Going in search of the unknown, this is the most inspiring thing for an artist.”
In 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Abramovic as an ambassador for rebuilding schools in Ukraine. The decision attracted controversy at the time. Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk questioned the appointment in a social media post, asking: “Why is Zelensky picking the ‘spirit cooking’ lady, Marina Abramovic, as an ambassador?”
The appointment has been referenced again following the release of the Epstein documents, with some online users linking Abramovic to other public figures named in the files.
Abramovic has also collaborated with musicians and artists, including a past performance with Jay-Z, whose name has also appeared in the newly released documents. She later accused the rapper of “using her” during that collaboration, though the dispute was subsequently resolved and described as a misunderstanding between the two artists.
