Ilya & Emilia Kabakov Van Abbemuseum permanent installation

A work in two parts – The Acrobat and The Five Steps of Life – by Ilya and Emilia Kabakov has been selected by the citizens of Eindhoven for installation in the garden of the Van Abbemuseum, where it will be unveiled in 2026. This lasting addition to Eindhoven's cultural heritage comes as part of a programme for public art which aims to select art that symbolises the city and enriches public space. 

Ilya and Emilia Kabakov are best known for their pioneering 'total installations', which completely immerse the viewer in a dramatic, constructed environment. These installations, together with paintings and works on paper, are informed by their shared Soviet background but also engage with universal themes such as personal or collective memory, fantasy and illusion. Often populated by fictional characters, their works draw upon the optimistic idealisation of Socialist Realist visual culture, which is sharply contrasted with the dreary reality of daily life in cramped communal apartments. While their visions of utopia are undercut with dark undercurrents of power and oppression, there is an inherent humanity and hope to these works that suggests the possibility of a brighter future.