Ilya and Emilia Kabakov
19 Oct 2005 - 08 Jan 2006
Ilya and Emilia Kabakov
The House of Dreams
19 October 2005 - 08 January 2006
Since the early 1990s, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov have collaborated to make complex installations that combine references to history, art, literature and philosophy. Much of their work has revolved around the creation of fictional characters and elaborate situations, and an interest in storytelling and fantasy underpins their art. Ilya Kabakov coined the term ‘total installation’ to describe these all-encompassing environments, in which viewers find themselves completely absorbed by the atmosphere of the piece.
For their exhibition at the Serpentine, the Kabakovs have designed a new installation that responds to the tranquillity of the Gallery’s setting within Kensington Gardens. In The House of Dreams, they will transform the Gallery by creating a series of distinct meditative spaces, and encourage visitors to enter into a world of fantasy and daydreams. The installation is a place for rest and quiet contemplation.
Ilya Kabakov began his career as a children’s book illustrator in the Soviet Union during the 1950s. He was one of a group of artists in Moscow who worked outside the official art system during the 1960s and 70s, an experience that influenced much of his later work. He has collaborated with Emilia Kabakov since the late 1980s. They were married in 1992, and live and work in New York.
The Kabakovs’ work has been widely shown internationally and they have received a number of awards and public commissions. Their exhibition Incident at the Museum and Other Installations at the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, 2004, was the first exhibition by living Russian artists to be held there.
www.serpentinegallery.org
© lya and Emilia Kabakov
The House of Dreams 2005
Drawing for installation at the Serpentine Gallery
Image courtesy the artists, Pescali & Sprovieri Gallery, London, and Sean Kelly Gallery, New York
The House of Dreams
19 October 2005 - 08 January 2006
Since the early 1990s, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov have collaborated to make complex installations that combine references to history, art, literature and philosophy. Much of their work has revolved around the creation of fictional characters and elaborate situations, and an interest in storytelling and fantasy underpins their art. Ilya Kabakov coined the term ‘total installation’ to describe these all-encompassing environments, in which viewers find themselves completely absorbed by the atmosphere of the piece.
For their exhibition at the Serpentine, the Kabakovs have designed a new installation that responds to the tranquillity of the Gallery’s setting within Kensington Gardens. In The House of Dreams, they will transform the Gallery by creating a series of distinct meditative spaces, and encourage visitors to enter into a world of fantasy and daydreams. The installation is a place for rest and quiet contemplation.
Ilya Kabakov began his career as a children’s book illustrator in the Soviet Union during the 1950s. He was one of a group of artists in Moscow who worked outside the official art system during the 1960s and 70s, an experience that influenced much of his later work. He has collaborated with Emilia Kabakov since the late 1980s. They were married in 1992, and live and work in New York.
The Kabakovs’ work has been widely shown internationally and they have received a number of awards and public commissions. Their exhibition Incident at the Museum and Other Installations at the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, 2004, was the first exhibition by living Russian artists to be held there.
www.serpentinegallery.org
© lya and Emilia Kabakov
The House of Dreams 2005
Drawing for installation at the Serpentine Gallery
Image courtesy the artists, Pescali & Sprovieri Gallery, London, and Sean Kelly Gallery, New York