Ilya Kabakov- The man who never threw anything away

This piece is an installation by Kabakov who collected objects in his studio and hung them up with string and labels/narratives. In contrast, the table’s tops were full of unorganised stacks of pencils and art stuffs. Additionally, there were also cabinets where objects were presented as if they were in a museum with every object numbered and catalogued.

The number of objects in one space gives a sense of chaos. But the way Kabakov has catalogued the work is very systematic and clean. The angular nature of the objects hung by string and the lighting created shadows which I think intensifies the feeling of chaos because it makes the space look fuller and creates an illusion there are more objects in the space than there actually are. This installation was first presented in 1988 when an installation using everyday objects which was not as common. ‘Installation’ first emerged in the 1960s but was not common until the 1990s, with the rise of conceptualism.

Kabakov in this series called himself the “garbage man” meaning that all these collected objects are rubbish and unneeded, which he has purposely archived them. Perhaps the sentimental values he had towards the objects grew due to their use in the installation. In a text I read from “The Archive” Kabakov says society is “boundless dump” and “fragments of culture” which I think that he thinks the same for this installation. One of the aspects I can see from the piece is showing a consumerist society and the obsession with hoarding that an average person has. The act of archiving objects leaves history, traces of yourself, and others. Kabakov has done this in “the man who never threw anything away”.

The man who never threw anything away (image 1)- my photo I took in the “Not everyone will be in taken in the future” exhibition (November 9th 2017)

Bibliography

Merewether, Charles, (1 Oct 2006). The Archive: Documents of Contemporary Art. Whitechapel Art Gallery (1 Oct. 2006), page 37