Both times I was the last one to sit, the first her last 2 minutes or so, the next her last 5 minutes of the day. Neither time was enough to really settle into the feeling of meeting her, but both were enough to feel her. I was nervous, sweaty and shaking, feeling a little faint.
Upon sitting across from Marina I noticed one eye was a different color green than the other, more yellowish and catlike. Beautiful.
The second time my heart was beating so fast it made me feel sort of sick. Staring with Marina helped me breathe deeper and slowed my heart down. I’ve kept that feeling with me since.
There was a feeling of euphoria as I walked from MoMA to the train, in my own world, Marina still with me.
I’ve been a fan of Marina’s work for years, and living in New York made it easier for me to attempt a sitting. What I didn’t expect was the wait, the amount of people who also wanted to interact with her. The pushiness, the cult-like phenomenon of being with Marina was disturbing. While waiting on line I heard many stories and met interesting people. One person who sat while I was there was on LSD, there was the mythology of previous sitters, the bragging about how long one had sat with her and how many times, the bitchy lady who took it upon herself to enforce rules no one else seemed to notice. It got pretty overwhelming after 7 hours, but faded away after having the opportunity to sit in that chair. It’s all part of the experience.
Thank you Marina for helping me calm my heart.
- Ariana Page Russell
