The basic elements of "Wrecking Ball" -- a nude female, some dangerous tools, and a set built for us to see destroyed -- comprise a mise-en-scène reminiscent of Marina's Rhythm series. The action takes place in a bare, minimalist cinder block room -- a kind of "white cube" gallery space -- decorated and atmospherically hardened by icons of hands-on demolition, a sledge hammer, a wrecking ball, and concrete detritus. Marina's Rhythm series turned the gallery space into a variety of dangerous environments, experimenting with different kinds of threats: environmental (such as the burning star of Rhythm 5, inside of which Marina nearly asphyxiated); social (the audience of Rhythm 0); self-destructive (cutting herself with a knife in Rhythm 10). Rhythm 0 in particular is notable for its use of conventional tools appropriated as weapons.

m&m_show3 — Photo: Stephen Shearer; still from "Wrecking Ball," directed by Terry Richardson and *Rhythm 0* (1974) by Marina Abramovic

Miley appears scantily dressed or completely nude in a variety of vignettes: getting friendly with a sledgehammer, bareback riding a wrecking ball, walking toward the viewer during the demolition, or writhing on the rubble. Performing nude is a familiar trope of Marina's: a challenge to perceptions of vulnerability. That same purpose is narratively served for Miley. Her nudity is part of her power over us, to whom she was previously victim.

Through the sexual innuendo of her performance, Miley spins the tale of our breakup to us, with a gaze punctuated by tears. As the wrecking ball slams into cinder block, bringing down the walls, Miley walks toward us in a seductive confrontation. We wrecked her, and now she wrecks us. In Rhythm 0, Marina put everything on the line, revealing the mixture of fetish, misogyny, and appetite for violence in her audience. Some pleasuring did occur at the audience's hands, but the part we remember and talk about is the loaded gun held to her head at the end. "Wrecking Ball" offers us the vicarious experience of Miley's seduction, her revenge, and her self-destruction, while at the same time, we become Miley's tormentor as she sings to us; Marina's stripped-down relational aesthetics reverberating through the fourth wall. Miley put it all on the line for us, and we didn't realize how far she would go, taking us down with her in a blaze of glory.

m&m_artist — Photo: Stephen Shearer; Gerard Rancinan and still from "Wrecking Ball," directed by Terry Richardson

We may speculate that the full nudity was at director Terry Richardson's behest, but Miley's general objectification in "Wrecking Ball" seems like her decision, part of her new identity, and the key to realizing this is understanding that we sexualize her only when she says so. For her follow-up interview with Barbara Walters, Miley dressed in a loose-fitting outfit of long pants and a collared and fully-buttoned blouse. While fashionable, her unrevealing and non-sexual attire is her saying "no." This also echos Rhythm 0; at the end of the performance, Marina rose and approached surrounding audience members, who scattered.

Is there a direct, causal connection between Marina Abramovic and "Wrecking Ball"? It's doubtful. But Marina is treading deeper into Miley's territory, contaminating pop culture, and any explication of current events should take her work into account. Issues of intent and originality are typical cannon fodder and a lazy critique; we fire the gun when we don't like the work and holster it when we do.

Marina AbramovicMarina Abramovic

Miley Abramovic: The Artist Came In Like A Wrecking Ball