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Ilya Kabakov — 10 Characters, Complete Set of Portfolios: (i) The Flying Komarov; (ii) The Joker Gorokhov; (iii) Generous Barmin; (iv) Agonizing Surikov (v) Anna Petrova Has A Dream; (vi) Sitting-in-the-Closet Primakov; (vii) Mathematical Gorsky; (viii) The Decorator Maligin; (ix) The Released Gavrilov; (x) The Looking-Out-The-Window Arkhipov
Ilya Kabakov

10 Characters, Complete Set of Portfolios: (i) The Flying Komarov; (ii) The Joker Gorokhov; (iii) Generous Barmin; (iv) Agonizing Surikov (v) Anna Petrova Has A Dream; (vi) Sitting-in-the-Closet Primakov; (vii) Mathematical Gorsky; (viii) The Decorator Maligin; (ix) The Released Gavrilov; (x) The Looking-Out-The-Window Arkhipov

Ilya Kabakov's *10 Characters* is a seminal conceptual work comprising ten portfolios, each presenting a fictional Soviet communal apartment resident defined by an obsessive behavior or fantasy that sets them apart from collective life. Through drawings, texts, and narrative annotations, Kabakov constructs richly layered psychological portraits that blur the boundaries between the mundane and the transcendent, the absurd and the deeply human. The work serves as a poignant meditation on individuality, escapism, and the inner lives suppressed within the rigid structures of Soviet society.

🔨 Auction Lot

New Now Day Sale

February 29, 2016

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About this work

Ilya Kabakov, 10 Characters, Complete Set of Portfolios: (i) The Flying Komarov; (ii) The Joker Gorokhov; (iii) Generous Barmin; (iv) Agonizing Surikov (v) Anna Petrova Has A Dream; (vi) Sitting-in-the-Closet Primakov; (vii) Mathematical Gorsky; (viii) The Decorator Maligin; (ix) The Released Gavrilov; (x) The Looking-Out-The-Window Arkhipov

Ilya Kabakov's *10 Characters* is a seminal conceptual work comprising ten portfolios, each presenting a fictional Soviet communal apartment resident defined by an obsessive behavior or fantasy that sets them apart from collective life. Through drawings, texts, and narrative annotations, Kabakov constructs richly layered psychological portraits that blur the boundaries between the mundane and the transcendent, the absurd and the deeply human. The work serves as a poignant meditation on individuality, escapism, and the inner lives suppressed within the rigid structures of Soviet society.

Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Figurative Conceptualism, Soviet Era, Muted Palette, Male Artist, Narrative Art, Figurative Illustration, Russian Male Artist, Late Twentieth Century, Conceptual Art, Russian Artist, Muted Tones, Character Studies, Social Commentary, Figurative Art, Late 20th Century, Internationally Acclaimed Artist, Everyday Life, Satirical Tone, Established Artist, Soviet Narrative, Print Series, Text And Image, Portfolio Series, Eastern European Art

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