Relinking: Kabakov Cabinet Ilya & Emilia Kabakov solo exhibition in Eindhoven

The exhibition: Relinking: Kabakov Cabinet gives unique insight into the oeuvre of artist couple Ilya and Emilia Kabakov. In 2021, the Van Abbemuseum bought 86 of their graphic works. A selection of 40 graphic works will now be put on display for the first time - together with other works by the couple, of which some are already in the museum’s collection. This cross-section of artworks from different periods and disciplines - ranging from big paintings that invite visitors to step back and view them from a distance to small prints and book illustrations that have to be viewed close up - will engage in dialogue with each other.

The recently deceased Ilya Kabakov (1933-2023) was one of the most important and influential Moscow conceptualists. Much of his older work is a melancholy but humoristic comment on the failure of Soviet ideals. He has been working with his wife Emilia (1945) since 1988 and both regard their work as a joint artistic expression. Born in Dnipro in Ukraine, previously Dnepropetrovsk in the Soviet Union, they moved to Long Island (US) and from here created exhibitions throughout the world.

The present, compact solo exhibition by Ilya and Emilia Kabakov is part of the Relinking series in which new collection purchases are displayed for the first time. The Kabakovs’ work dovetails with the museum’s collection policy, in which reflection on decolonization and demodernisation are important reference points. The war in Ukraine and the Russian imperialist urge make the presentation even more current.