A performance artist that helped bring Jay Z’s “Picasso Baby” video come to life said that working with him was a “cruel” experience. He adapted her 2010 performance called “The Artist Is Present” for the music video.
Marina Abramović told Spike Art magazine that Jay “completely used her and that wasn’t fair.” She said that Jigga promised to help promote her art institute, the Marina Abramovic Institute, in exchange for her helping him with the video but after they were done working together she heard nothing from him.
“I am very p##### by this, since he adapted my work only under one condition: that he would help my institute. Which he didn’t.”
Abramović said that she show Mr. Carter a full powerpoint presentation on her work and then was excited to work with her but their agreement ended up being a “one-way transaction.” She seems to be copletely scorned by the situation and said she will “never do it again.”
“Never,” she said. “I was really naive in this kind of world. It was really new to me, and I had no idea that this would happen. It’s so cruel, it’s incredible. I will stay away from it for sure.”