Mixed Reviews for Marina Abramović's Art Exhibition Featuring Nude Models

The Royal Academy is hosting a retrospective exhibition of Serbian performance artist Marina Abramović, which includes a unique installation. Visitors to the exhibition are required to walk between two nude models in order to enter. For those who are uncomfortable with this, there is a separate entrance available. The exhibition has received mixed reviews from critics, with The Guardian describing it as "vital" and The Times calling it "remorseless". The installation of the two naked performers creates a confrontation between nakedness, gender, sexuality, and desire, according to Andrea Tarsia, the head of exhibitions at the Royal Academy. This piece, first staged in 1977 by Abramović and her partner at the time, Ulay, has received some criticism from critics who found it difficult to fully appreciate the experience due to the worry of accidentally stepping on the performers. Despite this, the exhibition has been praised for its comprehensive representation of Abramović's 50-year career. This retrospective is a milestone for Abramović as the first female artist to have a solo exhibition in the principal galleries of the Royal Academy. Although some critics, such as Alastair Sooke from The Telegraph, were less impressed, claiming that Abramović had lost her way over the years, others like Adrian Searle from The Guardian deemed the exhibition "terrifying and vital".