The Moscow Museum of Modern Art is pleased to present In the Closet an exhibition that continues the series of research projects on Moscow conceptualism. Previously, the exhibitions Memories of APTART and Alienation Mechanism were held as part of the Collection. Vantage Point programme.

The new exhibition explores the theme of personal space, both physical and mental, as well as the artists' dwellings and the character of their art. The starting point of the exhibition is the image of Sitting-in-the-Closet Primakov – one of the characters in Ilya Kabakov's albums, who from childhood lived in the limited space of the wardrobe of his parents' flat, and then disappeared.

The motif of a cramped room is a defining feature of the discourse of the entire generation of Moscow conceptualists: closed spaces, wardrobes, closed window bindings, boxes and drawers are vestiges that constrain the creator. Exiting into a different space is, accordingly, a sign of parting with them. The exhibition invites the viewer into the world of characters who strive to overcome the dumbness and confinement of personal spaces, to find their own voice and the path to self-determination. The characters of Moscow conceptualism are not so much a product of the artist's imagination as independent images that live at the crossroads of several cultural and communicative dimensions.

The project brings together works by artists of different generations and trends, such as Alina Glazun, Anya Zhelud, Ilya Kabakov, Ivan Chuikov, Georgy Kiesewalter, Oleg Vasiliev and others. Thus there are paradoxical ‘rhymes’ with the main ‘album’ line, both literary and verbal line. The exhibition space resembles a total installation, where more than 50 artworks are juxtaposed with archival materials and photo-documentation of the personal spaces of the conceptualist artists.