Walk Through Walls: A Memoir

by Marina Abramović

I remembered an old Indian folktale: There was a king who fell madly in love with a princess, and she fell madly in love with him. They married, and they were the happiest couple in the world. Then she died very young. The king was so overcome with sorrow that he stopped all other activity and began to decorate her small wooden coffin. He had the coffin covered with gold, then covered with diamonds, rubies, emeralds. The coffin became bigger and bigger, surrounded by so many different layers. Then around the coffin he built a temple. That was not enough. He had a city built around the temple. The whole country became this young woman’s grave. Then the king was just sitting there, because there was nothing left to do. So he said to his servants, “Can you just remove the walls, the columns, the roof, take down the temple? Take the jewelry away.” And finally there was just the wooden coffin again, and he said, “Take this coffin, too.” I always remember that. There is a moment in your life when you realize that you don’t actually need anything. That life isn’t about things.