The world famous performance artist will depict La Divina in new video artwork.

One of the world’s most acclaimed and in-demand performance artist Marina Abramović has announced that she will finally begin production in 2015 on a new video art work inspired by Maria Callas. Abramović, who devised the premise for the work, titled Seven Deaths, 25 years ago, will be exploring two major personal obsessions in the work: mortality and Maria Callas.

Inspired not only by the roles that defined Callas’ operatic career, but also by ‘La Divina’s’ tragic personal life, seven short films will depict Abromović as Callas performing the death scenes from operas including Carmen, La Traviata, Madam Butterfly and Tosca. The piece will also explore Callas’ death from a heart attack in 1977, which Abramović likens to the deaths of the heroines she spent her life portraying, “She died of a broken heart.”

Abramović has described the piece as exploring the “unbelievably romantic idea of dying for love.” To realise the project she has assembled a impressive team of collaborators including directors Roman Polanski, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Marco Brambilla, Giada Colagrande and Yorgos Lanthimos. Controversial Danish director Lars von Trier had been signed up to contribute to the piece but had to pull out citing scheduling clashes. The project will be one of the most substantial of the renowned artist’s career. Abramović has said that she will devote herself entirely to the project in 2015, putting all other engagements on hold until she delivers the work.

Maria Callas has previously been a source of inspiration for film makers, artists and playwrights, such as Franco Zeffirelli’s 2002 film Callas Forever and Terrance McNally’s play Master Class. Callas has also been memorialised in numerous portraits, a commemorative Euro coin and even via a Google Doodle to mark the day of her 90th birthday in 2013.