--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Performance is there, and if you are not…" description: "\"Performance is there, and if you are not there in that moment it happened, it just stays in the memory. It's so immaterial and something this immateria..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/marina-abramovic-1502_art_performance-is-there-and-if-you-are-not_50671.jpg" --- # Performance is there, and if you are not there in that… ![“Performance is there, and if you are not there in that moment it happened, it just stays in the memory. It's so immaterial and something this immaterial is very difficult to collect. Its difficult to buy, its how we can buy immaterial art.” quote by Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/marina-abramovic-1502_art_performance-is-there-and-if-you-are-not_50671.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/marina-abramovic-1502_art_performance-is-there-and-if-you-are-not_50671.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/marina-abramovic-1502_art_performance-is-there-and-if-you-are-not_50671.jpg) > “Performance is there, and if you are not there in that moment it happened, it just stays in the memory. It's so immaterial and something this immaterial is very difficult to collect. Its difficult to buy, its how we can buy immaterial art.” [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the fleeting nature of performance art, emphasizing that its value lies in the memory of the experience rather than any tangible artifact, making it hard to capture or monetize. **In simple terms:** Performance art is intangible and memory‑based. Key Takeaway Value resides in recollection, not physical form. Themes Ephemerality Memory Art valuation Intangibility Experience Mood Reflective Contemplative Type Philosophical Observational When to use this quote - Live art installations - Museum retrospectives - Art market discussions - Digital archiving of performances Key Concepts Performance art Cultural memory Economic value of art Practical Applications - Curating experiential exhibitions - Developing immersive art platforms Questions to Reflect On - How does the impermanence of performance affect its cultural significance? - What methods can preserve the essence of fleeting art? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Buy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buy/) [Collect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collect/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [Immaterial Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immaterial-art-723181/) [Immaterial Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immaterial-difficult-723182/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Memory Immaterial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory-immaterial-723180/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [Performance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performance/) [Performance Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performance-moment-723183/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Stays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stays/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Very](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [Immaterial art is the strongest because there's no obstacle; there's just energy, and I believe in energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/immaterial-art-is-the-strongest-because-there-s-no-obstacle-there-s/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [When you go on a stage - or even in a café or a room - and you play it's all happening right then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-ann-dorsey/when-you-go-on-a-stage-or-even-in-a-caf-or-a-room-and-you-play-it-s/) [Gail Ann Dorsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-ann-dorsey/) > [“What does an introvert do when he's left alone? He stays alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-ferrari-adler/what-does-an-introvert-do-when-he-s-left-alone-he-stays-alone/) [Jenni Ferrari-Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-ferrari-adler/) > [The illustrations in picture books are the first paintings most children see, and because of that, they are incredibly important. What we see and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/the-illustrations-in-picture-books-are-the-first-paintings-most/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [A friend is someone who stays by your side all through the troubles he's caused you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/a-friend-is-someone-who-stays-by-your-side-all-through-the-troubles/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [Why don’t we break up? I guess I stay with her because she stays with me. And that’s not an easy thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/why-don-t-we-break-up-i-guess-i-stay-with-her-because-she-stays-with/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [You have to be completely in the character, and that's so hard to do. That's why, when they call, 'Cut!,' you often feel yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-montgomery/you-have-to-be-completely-in-the-character-and-that-s-so-hard-to-do/) [Janet Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-montgomery/) > [“One day I hope to say something that stays with you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-ahdieh/one-day-i-hope-to-say-something-that-stays-with-you/) [Renee Ahdieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-ahdieh/) > [Alas, time stays, we go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-austin-dobson/alas-time-stays-we-go/) [Henry Austin Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-austin-dobson/) > [Whatever happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-ramirez/whatever-happens-in-the-clubhouse-stays-in-the-clubhouse/) [Manny Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-ramirez/) > [The lead singer for Deerhunter, Bradford Cox... I don't like saying people are geniuses or whatever, but I just think that dude is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-anderson/the-lead-singer-for-deerhunter-bradford-cox-i-don-t-like-saying/) [Blake Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-anderson/) > [“The one thing that always stays the same is that nothing ever stays the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julieanne-o-connor/the-one-thing-that-always-stays-the-same-is-that-nothing-ever-stays/) [Julieanne O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julieanne-o-connor/) > [“Time stays long enough for those who use it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/time-stays-long-enough-for-those-who-use-it/) [Leonardo Da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [At the end of the day, I'm a guy that stays in my own lane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-jackson/at-the-end-of-the-day-i-m-a-guy-that-stays-in-my-own-lane/) [Mark Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-jackson/) > [You can't choose what stays and what stays away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-welch/you-can-t-choose-what-stays-and-what-stays-away/) [Florence Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-welch/) ## More by Marina Abramovic > [I really think there's no difference between an art piece made by a man and one made by a woman. Is it a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-really-think-there-s-no-difference-between-an-art-piece-made-by-a/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [I hate studios. A studio is a black hole. I never use a studio to work. It's very artificial to go to a studio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-hate-studios-a-studio-is-a-black-hole-i-never-use-a-studio-to-work/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [In my work I have complete control, but about my life, I don't want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/in-my-work-i-have-complete-control-but-about-my-life-i-don-t-want-to/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [I can explain my work to the cleaner or the president; it's all the same to me. I am very communist in this way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-can-explain-my-work-to-the-cleaner-or-the-president-it-s-all-the/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [My memoirs are full of humor, I had to change jokes because it was a little too dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/my-memoirs-are-full-of-humor-i-had-to-change-jokes-because-it-was-a/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [To be in a magazine when you're 20 is okay, but when you do it when you're 65, it's much more fun!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/to-be-in-a-magazine-when-you-re-20-is-okay-but-when-you-do-it-when/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [Most of the time, the artists are not supposed to wear the fashion. It is always seen as a vanity. But I think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/most-of-the-time-the-artists-are-not-supposed-to-wear-the-fashion-it/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [You know, art is very emotional business. But mostly it becomes not emotional, the fabric of commodity. It becomes business. It becomes so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/you-know-art-is-very-emotional-business-but-mostly-it-becomes-not/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [I didn't give any instruction to the video, because it was a new medium. I didn't know what to tell him; it was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-didn-t-give-any-instruction-to-the-video-because-it-was-a-new/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [If I'm not nervous, I'm nervous. You never know how people are going to receive the work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/if-i-m-not-nervous-i-m-nervous-you-never-know-how-people-are-going-to/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [Today, our attention is less than the television advertisement. We're looking at six or seven problems constantly. We're living in the disturbed societies of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/today-our-attention-is-less-than-the-television-advertisement-we-re/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [Art comes from life, not from the studio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/art-comes-from-life-not-from-the-studio/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [All the aggressive actions I do to myself I would never dream of doing in my own life - I am not this kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/all-the-aggressive-actions-i-do-to-myself-i-would-never-dream-of/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [It's so easy to do things you like. But then, the thing is, when you're afraid of something, face it; go for it. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/it-s-so-easy-to-do-things-you-like-but-then-the-thing-is-when-you-re/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [I am obsessive always, even as a child. On one side is this strict orthodox religion, on the other is communism, and I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-am-obsessive-always-even-as-a-child-on-one-side-is-this-strict/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) [Explore all 234 Marina Abramovic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Performance is there, and if you are not there in that moment it happened, it just stays in the memory. 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