The Tribune
with Emilia Kabakov
YEAR: 2011
CATALOGUE NUMBER: 186
PROVENANCE
Collection of Ilya and Emilia Kabakov.
EXHIBITIONS
Pražské Quadriennale Scénografie a Divadelního Prostoru 2 / Prague Quadrennial of Performance, Design and Space 2, Prague, Czech Republic
Intersection: Intimacy and Spectacle, June 16 to June 26, 2011
Galleria Continua, San Gimignano, Italy
Ilya & Emilia Kabakov, May 14 to September 4, 2016.
Artist’s studio, Mattituck, New York, United States
Produced in 2005, edition of 3
La Maison Rouge, Paris, France
The speaker’s desk (as a freestanding object without mirrors) was part of the exhibition Sots Art: Political Art in Russia from 1972 to Today, October 21, 2007 to January 20, 2008.
DESCRIPTION
In order that both sides of the tribune are visible immediately upon entering, a mirror is installed on the front wall that reflects the façade part of the tribune. Therefore, the object is located in a special space that, together with the pedestal under the tribune and with this special illumination, all work to form a unified installational complex.
CONCEPT OF THE INSTALLATION
“The Tribune” represents an object that “works” when it is viewed from both sides: from the outside and from the inside, that is, it has one appearance “from the front” and another “from the back.”
From the front, in image and size, the “tribune” imitates the official tribunes in the USSR, or more accurately, the main tribune in the Supreme Soviet in the Kremlin during the Stalin era, and subsequently, right up until the very end of Soviet power. Its dark, solemn, oak façade is embellished with the gold-plated coat of arms of the Soviet Union. The rear view of the Tribune reveals its internal design. There are straight rows of shelves loaded with bottles of vodka, wine, cognac and suitable hors-d’oeuvres. Furthermore, there are shelves for all kinds of pills and medicines that might be needed during the long speeches of the elderly leaders.
