The Museum of Modern Love

Seymour Centre in association with Sydney Festival will present the world premiere of The Museum of Modern Love.

Adapted from Heather Rose’s Stella Prize-winning Australian novel, The Museum of Modern Love follows Arky Levin, a New York film composer struggling to live and work in the face of incredible loss. Finding his way to MoMA, Arky sees Marina Abramović in The Artist is Present – a marathon and now-legendary feat of performance art that saw Abramović sitting silent and completely still opposite thousands of museum visitors in the spring of 2010. 

Returning to MoMA again and again, Arky encounters other viewers also drawn to the exhibit, each with their own reasons for spending hours in the presence of Abramović. As the performance unfolds, so does Arky, and with his life coming back into focus, he finally understands what he must do to move forward.

Set against the backdrop of one of the greatest art events in modern history, The Museum of Modern Love – directed by Seymour Centre’s Artistic Director, Tim Jones – is a transfixing new work exploring dying and living, courage and commitment, and the power of art to unite and connect us, even in an increasingly disconnected world. In a unique twist, each night ten audience members will sit on stage and participate in the action, becoming part of the ‘crowd’ who gathered to view the Abramović performance.