"Cabinet of Memory"- a special exhibition by Ilya Milstein- is being held at the MY ART MUSEUM from 2023 September 20th to 2024 March 3rd.

The artist behind this exhibition, Ilya Milstein,, was born in Milan, raised in Melbourne, and is an illustrator based in New York, who is loved worldwide by collaborating with LG, Google, The New York Times, and Gucci with his original and warm style.

Christopher Chapman, the chief curator at the National Museum of Portrait Art, said that Ilya Milstein's description is like a dream in that it is complicated and tense.

Milstein's painting, which boasts a maximalist style while filling up objects, figures, and furniture with a full screen, features a detailed description.

The reason why a variety of objects such as brand characteristics, major figures, logos, or point colorscan be mixed naturally lies in the artist’s sense of balance.

He freely wanders between pure art and commercial art, providing a strange emotion to common daily life.

He instills a strong presence in small mundane moments that would otherwise be overlooked, such as a beaded bracelet hanging from the foot of a giraffe doll on a bookshelf, pieces of flesh clinging to leftover fish spines, and small indexes sandwiched between books.

Such details in his pieces have the charm of making those who appreciate his work laugh out loud and want to stand close to the work and unpack its elements one by one, as if searching for hidden pictures.

Just as an object small enough to fit in a cabinet can digest countless memories related to that small thing, Ilya Milstein perceives the world from small things and presents the same experience to the viewers.

He says, "I hope my work resonates with people and allows them to enter into the work."

The exhibition “Cabinet of Memory” consists of a total of four sections.

In the Cabinet 1 section, you can see works depicting lovers as the closest strangers, with single or two figures appearing.

In the Cabinet 2 section, you can see works depicting scenes with family and friends, and in the Cabinet 3 section, you can see works depicting crowds, downtown areas, and common places, especially works in collaboration with the New York Times.

Lastly, in the Cabinet 4 section, you can see pure landscape works that do not feature any crowds; you can get a glimpse of Ilya Milstein's unique perspective that transcends the world we live in.

The special section is a space in which Ilya Milstein personally participated in the planning, and the artist's original drawings are displayed together.

Exhibited works are explained in detail in the wall text and can be enjoyed through audio explanations through the docent along with prepared materials.

If you cannot make the docent's time, you can prepare earphones and listen to the audio guide.

Looking at this exhibition, you can see why various large companies such as LG, Facebook, Gucci, etc. collaborated with Ilya Milstein.

Whether you are interested in art or not, this is an exhibition you must see at least once.

Kyujin Joung
Grade 10
Yongsan High School