Marina Abramovic dies seven times in underground opera installation

Abramovic lets the voice of Maria Callas guide audiences through iconic moments of death from opera history in the heart of Copenhagen

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Deep beneath Copenhagen, in the vast underground chambers of Cisternerne, Marina Abramovic stages her own demise — not once, but seven times. In Seven Deaths, Abramovic reanimates opera's most iconic female death scenes, placing them inside the cavernous darkness of the former water reservoir. The result is an immersive, cinematic procession through love, loss and fear, with visitors moving physically through the work and encountering each staged death in shifting sequences of shadow and sound.

Why it matters

Seven Deaths is the latest work by pioneering performance artist Marina Abramovic, who has pushed the boundaries between body, mind, and audience for decades. The work draws directly from Abramovic's lifelong investigation of the body, vulnerability and extreme presence, but here the intensity is refracted through opera, blurring the lines between spectacle, mortality, and personal reckoning.

The details

In seven films, Abramovic casts herself as opera's doomed heroines, accompanied by the voice of legendary diva Maria Callas. Opposite her stands actor Willem Dafoe, amplifying the drama of each fatal climax. The atmospheric surroundings of Cisternerne, with its permanent darkness and 17-second reverberation, transform Callas' voice into something almost architectural, creating a total immersive environment for the audience to navigate.

  • Seven Deaths will be on view from March 14 to November 30, 2026.
  • Marina Abramovic turns 80 on November 30, 2026, the final day of the exhibition.

The players

Marina Abramovic

A pioneering performance artist who has pushed the boundaries between body, mind, and audience since the 1970s. In Seven Deaths, she casts herself as opera's doomed heroines.

Maria Callas

The legendary 20th century opera diva whose voice and persona serve as the foundation for Abramovic's work, embodying opera's extremities of devotion, heartbreak, and collapse.

Willem Dafoe

The acclaimed actor who appears opposite Abramovic, amplifying the drama of each staged death scene in Seven Deaths.

Cisternerne

The underground exhibition space in Copenhagen where Seven Deaths is staged, with its permanent darkness, humidity, and 17-second reverberation transforming the work into a total immersive environment.

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What they’re saying

“The atmospheric surroundings of Cisternerne bring a new emotional depth to Seven Deaths. Its darkness and resonance create a space where the work can unfold with greater intensity, and the audience becomes physically and emotionally present with each death.”

— Marina Abramovic (fadmagazine.com)

What’s next

2026 marks a pivotal year for Abramovic, as she turns 80 on the final day of the Seven Deaths exhibition and will also open a solo exhibition at the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice, becoming the first living woman to do so.

The takeaway

Seven Deaths is Abramovic's latest work exploring the boundaries of performance, mortality, and personal reckoning. By immersing audiences in the cavernous darkness of Cisternerne and Callas' iconic operatic vocals, the work blurs the lines between spectacle and confession, inviting a profound confrontation with love, loss, and the ultimate price of artistic commitment.