The Art Newspaper: What does Russia need to do to improve its contemporary art scene?
Emilia Kabakov: We recently met the new Russian Culture Minister, Alexander Avdeyev, and the first thing that he asked us was our thoughts on how to bring contemporary Russian art to the highest level. We told him that it’s necessary to be like America—giving rich people incentives to buy and then donate to museums. He said that the tax authorities won’t like that kind of idea. We also said that the Russian government needs to do more to support young artists and the artistic community. It has to be serious art; art which is not made to make money. When an artist starts creating for money they are finished.
Extracted from an interview by The Art Newspaper with Emilia Kabakov on the homecoming show of Ilya and Emilia Kabakov in Moscow since Ilya left the Soviet Union in 1987. The Kabakovs will also be showing at the Singapore Biennale which opens on the same day as HAO.
