We thank the performance-art gods, Kickstarter, and the possible Marina Abramovic Institute (which just might exist in the future) for giving the world this gem of a video featuring the stoic, intense, always-poised Marina Abramovic breaking character and suddenly turning into an unintentional comedian. Watch the woman — beloved by Riccardo Tisci, Jay Z , and Lady Gaga — as she sits with a single lightbulb clutched in her hand, hilariously attempting to deliver her one line: “How many hours does a performance artist need to change a lightbulb?” After her first attempt (“How many lightbulbs do you need … Oh God”), she enters into her happy place of self-confidence (“I do it now, it’s going to be the best”), then entirely walks out of view of the camera (“I can’t do it, I can’t do it”), enters into a moment of crippling self-doubt ("How many hours. Is this the right one?”), and finally lands her joke successfully in a video that lasts around three minutes. She laughs, her team laughs, but now we also know why she’s such a fan of silent events! Enjoy a glimpse into the lighter side of Marina, and somebody please send her an endless supply of lightbulbs. The artist will be answering questions about the institute on a Reddit Ask Me Anything session starting today at 12:30 p.m.
