I built the installation The Man Who Flew into Space in the corner, I glued Soviet posters from inside of it and I would take it down after each showing for fear that they would drop in, understand, and that would be 'the end of everything.'» ~ Ilya Kabakov.
In 1968 Kabakov had his first Soviet exhibition with good artist friend Erik Bulatov
This exhibition however was small and risky
Kabakov wanted to exhibit his work but there was little government tolerance for it
With a lack of exhibition space, Kabakov put to use text and books to display his work
He created many albums of subtle commentary
He also held short private exhibitions in his apartments
The pyrotechnics of the harshly lit Man Who Flew into Space drew the most attention, in part because it looked so Soviet
This man had papered his walls with Soviet propaganda posters and built a makeshift catapult with which he had apparently launched himself through the ceiling, into the beyond
All that remained in the room were the bed, the table scattered with drawings, the catapult and an impressive hole in the ceiling from which light poured in
The room had been boarded up by the authorities, as a text panel informed us in the most bureaucratic of languages