Culture, art and events in Copenhagen
Whether you're into contemporary art and design, theatre, ancient sculptures, heavy metal concerts, or Danish movies, Copenhagen is ready to entertain, inspire, and impress.
Marina Abramović Takes Over Cisternerne in 2026 with a Monumental Cinematic Installation
7.10.2025
Photo: Still from "Seven Deaths"
Cisternerne presents the world-renowned performance artist Marina Abramović’s grand work Seven Deaths in March 2026.
In March 2026, Cisternerne opens the exhibition Seven Deaths – a cinematic opera installation by Marina Abramović. A powerful, sensory installation in which the world-famous performance artist stages death through seven of opera history’s most iconic female roles. The work, based on seven arias sung by the legendary opera diva Maria Callas, will unfold for the first time underground in Cisternerne’s dark and acoustically rich chambers.
“Cisternerne is one of the most unique spaces I’ve ever exhibited in. The dark and monumental setting gives Seven Deaths a dimension I look forward to sharing with the audience,” says Marina Abramović
Since her youth, Abramović has been fascinated by Maria Callas, whose dramatic life and tragic fate she sees as a mirror of her own experiences with love, loss, and uncompromising artistic expression. Seven Deaths is one of Abramović’s most ambitious works to date. Visitors will encounter seven video installations in which Abramović herself plays the female lead, alongside Hollywood actor Willem Dafoe.
“It is a great honor to present Marina Abramović – one of the greatest artists of our time – at Cisternerne,” says Tine Vindfeld, Chief Curator at Cisternerne
She adds:
“Seven Deaths is a cross-aesthetic masterpiece that unites performance art, opera, and cinematic techniques in a spatial staging created specifically for the striking architecture of Cisternerne. We look forward to presenting an intense and captivating experience that explores universal human emotions and existential conditions: love and loss, life and death, longing and suffering.”
Seven Deaths – a cinematic opera installation by Marina Abramović is realized by Frederiksbergmuseerne in close collaboration with Marina Abramović and her studio in New York.
Photo:Maria Kathrine Preisler
About the Artist
Marina Abramović (b. 1946, Belgrade) is one of the most influential performance artists of our time. Since the 1970s, she has challenged the boundaries between body, mind, and audience, creating iconic works such as Rhythm 0 (1974) and The Artist Is Present (MoMA, New York, 2010).
Abramović has been exhibited at major museums worldwide, including Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark with The Cleaner (2017). In 2023, she received the Sonning Prize for her lifelong contribution to performance art. She lives and works in New York.
Abramović turns 80 on November 30, 2026 – the final day of the exhibition.
Practical Information
Exhibition: Seven Deaths – a Cinematic Opera Installation by Marina Abramović
Exhibition Period: March 14 – November 30, 2026
Venue: Cisternerne, Søndermarken, Frederiksberg
Other related press material
Senior Manager – Press & PR