The Unseen Influence: 7 Ways Marina Abramović’s Method Still Shapes Lady Gaga’s Career In 2025

The intense, brief collaboration between pop superstar Lady Gaga and the 'Grandmother of Performance Art,' Marina Abramović, remains one of the most intriguing and misunderstood artistic partnerships of the last decade. While their viral 2013 video showcasing the Abramović Method for the *ARTPOP* era captured the world's attention, many believe the influence was fleeting. However, as of late 2024 and into 2025, the philosophical and physical training Gaga underwent continues to be a foundation for her artistic choices, resilience, and dramatic image reinventions.

This deep dive explores the lasting legacy of their connection, moving beyond the sensational headlines to examine how Abramović's teachings on endurance, presence, and creative consciousness have subtly guided Lady Gaga’s evolution from pop icon to Oscar-winning actress and back. The Serbian artist herself has called Gaga her "most important student," a testament to the profound impact of their work together, which continues to resonate in both their latest projects, including Abramović's 2025 return to the UK and Gaga's recent film and music releases.

The Biographies: Pop Icon Meets Performance Art Grandmaster

To understand the gravity of their collaboration, one must first appreciate the distinct, yet fundamentally similar, artistic paths of Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta and Marina Abramović.

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Lady Gaga (Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta)

• Born: March 28, 1986, New York City, USA.
• Occupation: Singer, Songwriter, Actress, Producer.
• Key Albums: *The Fame* (2008), *Born This Way* (2011), *ARTPOP* (2013), *Chromatica* (2020).
• Major Film Roles: *A Star Is Born* (2018), *House of Gucci* (2021), *Joker: Folie à Deux* (2024).
• Recent Projects (2024-2025): Released the companion album *Harlequin* in 2024 and the album *Mayhem* in March 2025, alongside her highly anticipated role as Harley Quinn.
• Artistic Trademark: Constant image reinvention, blending high fashion, avant-garde concepts, and pop music with theatrical flair.

Marina Abramović

• Born: November 30, 1946, Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia).
• Occupation: Performance Artist, Writer, Filmmaker.
• Key Works: *Rhythm 0* (1974), *Balkan Baroque* (1997, Golden Lion winner), *The Artist Is Present* (2010), *The House with the Ocean View* (2002).
• Artistic Trademark: Exploring the physical and mental limits of the body, endurance art, and the relationship between the performer and the audience. She is widely referred to as the "grandmother of performance art."
• Recent Projects (2024-2025): Announced her latest NFT project, *Marina Abramović Element (MAE)* in 2025, and a return to the UK with *Balkan Erotic Epic* in 2025. She also participated in the Adelaide Festival in 2024.

The Secret Retreat: Unpacking the Abramović Method

The pivotal moment in the Gaga-Abramović narrative occurred in 2013, when Gaga traveled to a remote location in upstate New York for a three-day intensive workshop. This was not a typical celebrity endorsement; it was a deep dive into the Abramović Method, a series of exercises designed to achieve a state of "creative consciousness" and "inner strength."

The training was rigorous and often bizarre to the outside world, as evidenced by the viral footage later released to promote the Marina Abramović Institute (MAI) Kickstarter campaign. Gaga was filmed engaging in exercises like:

• Slow-Motion Movement: Walking extremely slowly through a forest, a practice intended to heighten awareness of the body and the environment.
• Counting the Rice: A meditative practice involving counting grains of rice and lentils, designed to build concentration and patience.
• Blindfolded Sensory Deprivation: Sitting blindfolded in silence, a classic endurance technique to push mental limits.
• Screaming/Vocalization: Exercises to release emotional blockages and tap into raw, uninhibited performance power.

The goal of the Method is to prepare the artist for long-duration performance art, enabling them to access deeper emotional and physical reserves. For Gaga, who was preparing for the ambitious, performance-art-infused *ARTPOP* album cycle, this was a necessary spiritual and artistic cleanse. It was a fusion of high art philosophy with the demands of mainstream pop stardom, a bridge that few artists dare to cross.

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Marina Abramović herself was deeply impressed, stating that Gaga was willing to "go much further than anyone else and push her limits," cementing the pop star’s status as a serious student of the art form. The association also provided a massive boost to the MAI, helping the institute reach its funding goals and bringing the often-niche world of performance art to a global, mainstream audience.

The Enduring Legacy: How Gaga’s Art Continues to Evolve

The impact of the Abramović Method on Lady Gaga is not confined to the *ARTPOP* era. It is an underlying philosophy that informs her entire career trajectory, especially as she navigates the demanding worlds of Hollywood and global touring in 2024 and 2025. The Method’s teachings manifest in several key ways:

1. Mastery of Endurance and Presence

Abramović’s core teaching is endurance. This training is evident in Gaga’s lengthy, emotionally draining concert residencies and her willingness to fully inhabit demanding film roles. The ability to maintain a powerful, focused presence for hours, a skill honed during the Method, is now a hallmark of her professional life.

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2. The Art of the 'Clean Slate' Image Reinvention

Gaga's career is defined by dramatic shifts in persona. The Method taught her to strip away the external—clothing, ego, and persona—to find the core self. This philosophy underpins her ability to shed the elaborate costumes of the past and embrace the stripped-down, raw emotion seen in her jazz work with Tony Bennett or her intense dramatic roles. The concept of "Cleaning the Mirror," one of Abramović's works, directly relates to this artistic purification.

3. Elevated Pop Culture Discourse

By publicly engaging with Abramović, Gaga forced the pop culture conversation to include performance art concepts. She legitimized the avant-garde for a generation of fans, linking high art entities like the Venice Biennale and MoMA (where Abramović performed *The Artist Is Present*) to the global stage. This intellectual curiosity is a direct result of her mentorship.

4. Philosophical Depth in Recent Work

Her work in 2024 and 2025, particularly the dark, psychological nature of her role in *Joker: Folie à Deux* and its companion album *Harlequin*, demands a level of emotional and mental control that echoes the Method. The ability to access and channel extreme emotional states without losing control is a primary outcome of Abramović's training in creative consciousness.

5. The Power of Vulnerability

The exercises in the Method often require extreme vulnerability, including nudity and uninhibited emotional release. This radical honesty is something Gaga has carried into her public life and art, making her one of the most transparent and emotionally accessible superstars of her generation. Abramović praised this willingness to be vulnerable, recognizing it as a necessary element for profound artistic expression.

In 2025, as Marina Abramović continues to pioneer new frontiers, including digital art with her NFT project, and Lady Gaga pushes the boundaries of cinematic and musical storytelling, their powerful connection serves as a permanent, influential chapter in the history of modern art. The legacy is clear: the Abramović Method didn't just train a pop star for a single album; it instilled an enduring philosophy of endurance and artistic integrity that defines Lady Gaga’s lasting relevance.