Marina Abramović is a Serbian performance artist. She rose to fame through her extremely dangerous performance installations, which often included self-inflicted pain. For a period of her life, she collaborated with Frank Uwe Laysiepen, known as Ulay, and it is the work they did together that particularly influenced Sixto Perea Rubio. Specifically, their performances titledLight/Dark(1977) and Breathing In/Breathing Out(1997). (Gershman 2018)
Light/Dark
Light/Dark was a performance installation by Abramović and Ulay. They sat opposite each other and took turns in slapping each other’s faces. Perea Rubio particularly responds to the idea of two lovers hurting each other. Whether intentional or not, he found it to explore the toxicity of a relationship, something that he also wanted to explore in Relationship.exe.
Breathing In/Breathing Out
Similar to Light/Dark, this installation featured Abramović and Ulay working together on a performance that dealt with real physical pain. Their noses were clogged with cigarette filters, and they would breathe in and out of each other’s mouths. Perea Rubio found that this also explores a toxic dynamic between two people, seeing as their only way to breathe is through the other person and yet with every breath they take, they are closer to asphyxiation.
Relationship.exe 