Marina Abramovic has pioneered the use of performance as a visual art form. The body has been both her subject and medium. Exploring the physical and mental limits of her being, she has withstood pain, exhaustion and danger in the quest for emotional and spiritual transformation. As a vital member of the generation of pioneering performance artists that includes Bruce Nauman, Vito Acconci and Chris Burden, Abramović created some of the most significant early performance pieces and continues to make important durational works.

Abramović has presented her work at major institutions in the U.S. and Europe and has been included in many large-scale international exhibitions including the Venice Biennale and Documenta. She was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Artist at the 1997 Venice Biennale for her video installation/performance piece Balkan Baroque‚ and in 2003 received the Bessie for The House with the Ocean View‚ a 12-day performance at Sean Kelly Gallery. In 2005, Abramović presented Balkan Erotic Epic at the Pirelli Foundation in Milan, Italy and at Sean Kelly Gallery, New York. That same year, she performed Seven Easy Pieces, for which she was honored by the Guggenheim at their International Gala in 2006 and by the AICA USA with the "Best Exhibition of Time Based Art" award in 2007. Abramović's work is included in numerous major public and private collections worldwide.

Babette Mangolte is an experimental filmmaker living in New York City. A complete retrospective of her films and camerawork was organized by the Berlin and Munich Cinematheques in 2000. And in 2004 Anthology Films Archives in New York City opened her film Les Modèles de Pickpocket (2003) accompanied by a retrospective of all her films. Her films and photo work were included in "The American Century" show in 1999 at the Whitney Museum in New York and "Century City" at the Tate Britain in London in 2001. Mangolte is also known for her photography of dance, theater and performances. Her work was included with several performance photographs and two film installations in a show titled "Art, Lies and Videotapes: Exposing Performance" organized by Adrian George at TATE Liverpool in 2003.