Ilya Kabakov (Phaidon Contemporary Artists Series) - Softcover

Ross, David A; Groys, Boris; Blazwick, Iwona

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0714837970 ISBN 13: 9780714837970

Publisher: Phaidon Press, 1998

Synopsis

After spending some thirty years as an 'unofficial' artist behind the Iron Curtain of the former Soviet Union, Ilya Kabakov first came to the attention of the West in the 1980s. Today Kabakov is recognized as the most important Russian artist to have emerged in the late 20th century, with installations that speak as much about conditions in post-Stalinist Russia as they do about the human condition universally. His installations are, in some instances, akin to theatrical mise-en-scenes, reproducing a cramped communal apartment or a flooded art museum as a site of Schadenfreude-like comedies on human frustration and doomed aspirations. Alternating between light-hearted irony and genuine tragedy, Kabakov evokes a shadowy world lit by a twenty-watt bulb in which fable-like miracles might occur: a homespun cosmonaut may fly into space, or the radio/television aerial may spell out a poem against the sky. Ilya Kabakov's work has featured in the world's most significant surveys of contemporary art, among them Documenta IX (Kassel, Germany, 1992), and the Whitney Biennial (New York, 1997). In 1993 Kabakov represented Russia at the 45th Venice Biennale.

About this title

About the Author:

Boris Groys freelance author and critic, is Professor of Aesthetics and Media Theory at ZKM (Centre for Art and Media Technology), Karlsruhe, Germany. His books include The Total Art of Stalinism: Avant-garde, Aesthetic Dictatorship, and Beyond (1992). David A. Ross, formerly Director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, is a widely published writer on contemporary art. His books include Spring and Summer: Soviet Conceptual Art in the Era of Late Communism (1989) and Bill Viola (1997). Iwona Blazwick, Director of the Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, has also held the posts of Curator of the Tate Modern, London, and Director of Exhibitions at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts. As an independent curator, her many international exhibitions of contemporary and twentieth-century art have included Kabakov's first major solo exhibition in Britain. From 1993-97 she was Commissioning Editor for Contemporary Art at Phaidon Press.

Review:

'The boldest, best executed, and most far-reaching publishing project devoted to contemporary art. These books will revolutionize the way contemporary art is presented and written about.' (Artforum) 'The combination of intelligent analysis, personal insight, useful facts and plentiful pictures is a superb format invaluable for specialists but also interesting for casual readers, it makes these books a must for the library of anyone who cares about contemporary art.' (Time Out) 'A unique series of informative monographs on individual artists.' (The Sunday Times) 'Gives the reader the impression of a personal encounter with the artists. Apart from the writing which is lucid and illuminating, it is undoubtedly the wealth of lavish illustrations which makes looking at these books a satisfying entertainment.' (The Art Book)

About this edition

• Publisher: Phaidon Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0714837970
• ISBN 13: 9780714837970
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160