For more than 50 years, Marina Abramović has used her own body to push the boundaries of performance art. Now, as she approaches her 80th birthday, she’s preparing to stage her most ambitious — and most autobiographical — work yet, Balkan Erotic Epic. The bold new performance piece draws on ancient Balkan folk rituals to explore sexuality, spirituality, fertility and death. In this candid conversation with Tom Power, Marina details how the project has allowed her to achieve emotional liberation from her childhood in former Yugoslavia, her difficult relationship with her strict mother, and the past she’s still trying to make peace with.