The Bus

A space to meet, pause, and reflect

The Bus

“THE BUS is a mobile capsule where people can experience stillness and a connection with the present moment and themselves. It’s an invitation for an inner journey that becomes collective. This is how we begin to find common ground and create space for dialogue and peace.”
Marina Abramović

THE BUS is a former school bus transformed into a mobile exhibition space on wheels. It is part mobile sculpture and part meditation capsule. Visitors are invited to pause and embark on an inner journey that has the potential for lasting change and transformation. It is about deceleration, mindfulness, and the creation of a shared experiential space that unites people.

THE BUS brings art to the people and offers an art experience outside museum walls. THE BUS will stop at various locations, each creating a unique encounter designed to unite people from different backgrounds. It is a meeting place where common grounds can be remembered and/or found, something urgently needed in today’s conflict-ridden times, when divisions in society are becoming increasingly apparent. THE BUS aims to have a real impact by contributing to dialogue and peace in the world, both on an individual and collective level.

THE BUS is a collaboration between Marina Abramović, her institute (MAI), and the Mirjam Varadinis Art Agency. We are grateful for the support of the Cart Department and the Monsol Foundation.

Contacts:
driver@the-bus.world
comms@the-bus.world

“The idea of THE BUS was born as part of my institute. I wanted to offer an opportunity to pause and embark on an inner journey with the Abramović Method, extending it to a wider audience, not just limited to the art world.”
Marina Abramović

Marina Abramović pushes limits and boundaries with her art — and she also brings people together. THE BUS builds on these fundamental ideas and goes one step further: It brings art to the people and creates space for community, presence, and empathy.

This commitment to dialogue and peace is not new in the work of Marina Abramović. It has characterized many of her projects, including the renown “Seven Minutes of Silence” at the Glastonbury Music Festival in June 2024. In response to the many crises and wars in today’s world, she invited festivalgoers to spend seven minutes with her in absolute silence, creating space for reflection and positive energy. Around 200,000 festival-goers took part, with an estimated additional hundreds of thousands watching via livestream.

THE BUS is grounded in the belief that unity has become a fragile and rare resource, and calls on participants to engage with “The Abramović Method,” creating space for shared presence and fostering the possibility of common ground.

THE POWER OF SILENCE

THE BUS as a center for positive energy

ART WITHOUT WALLS

A mobile platform that brings art to the people

The world as a studio

Combining life and art in an impactful way

FOCUSING ON THE PRESENT MOMENT

THE BUS as an antidote to constant connectivity, acceleration, and digital noise

“I think you can define the act of slowing down and not participating in this frenetic pace as an act of resistance — and one that’s very needed in today’s world.”
Mirjam Varadinis

ARTISTIC TEAM

Marina Abramović and Mirjam Varadinis first collaborated on Marina’s retrospective at the Kunsthaus Zürich in 2024.

As Marina explains:

“Working with Mirjam was a great experience for me. I quickly realised our mutual passion for formats that push the boundaries of how we experience art, and I knew then she was the right curator and partner to bring THE BUS to life.”

Marina Abramović

Marina Abramović (b. 1946, Belgrade) is one of the most influential contemporary artists of our time. In a career spanning more than 55 years, she has redefined the possibilities of performance art. She gained international acclaim with her iconic 2010 performance “The Artist Is Present” at MoMA in New York — a three-month-long piece that drew over 500,000 visitors.

The Marina Abramović Institute (MAI) is devoted to long durational work, recognizing time as an essential element for fully experiencing art. MAI offers public, participatory experiences and serves as the home of The Abramović Method — an ongoing project that brings people together in a shared space to foster deeper connection with themselves and with one another.

Mirjam Varadinis

Mirjam Varadinis is a curator for contemporary art and the Founder and Director of the Mirjam Varadinis Art Agency. With an extensive international career, her curatorial practice explores expanded formats of contemporary curating, often extending beyond institutional boundaries.

She regularly contributes to artist publications and exhibition catalogues, and frequently speaks on international symposia and serves on judging panels. Her portfolio includes large-scale international exhibitions such as the award-winning Manifesta12 in Palermo (2018), a special project for the 5th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art (2013), and an annual contemporary arts festival in Toulouse, France, which used the city itself as artistic material.

She’s a curator-at-large for the Kunsthaus Zürich, where she curated Marina Abramović’s comprehensive retrospective in 2024. Other prominent artists Mirjam has worked with include Yoko Ono, Olafur Eliasson, Kader Attia, Pipilotti Rist, Cindy Sherman, Rosa Barba, and Urs Fischer.

Davos

19.01.—23.01.26

Premiering at the WEF Annual meeting in January 2026 in Davos reinforces THE BUS’s commitment to fostering global dialogue and connection.

“Launching it at the World Economic Forum in Davos means global leaders can participate. It means decision makers can join together in silence, remembering or finding common ground between them.”
Marina Abramović

Zurich

Summer 2026

In summer 2026, THE BUS will travel to Zurich for a collaboration with the University of Zurich and its researchers, inviting visitors to reflect on topics like digital detox and mental health. While these issues affect many, they are especially urgent for young adults and adolescents. Marina Abramović will develop dedicated workshops addressing this audience directly. Throughout the summer, THE BUS will be open to the wider public in a central Zurich park. This collaboration is highlighting the potential of THE BUS as a tool for transformation and research in the educational field.