Ilya Kabakov

In parallel with his work as a graphic artist and illustrator in the Soviet Union, Ilya Kabakov also focused on painting very early in his career. Painting has also been a key feature of the countless installations that he has produced in recent decades. 'The tradition of depicting “reality” demands the depiction of an object (a figure, things, buildings, etc.) against the background of some space, and the resulting principle has not radically wavered over the course of the entire history of art. This principle is rejected in the works presented here: the viewer sees only space against the background of other space.' (Ilya Kabakov)