Collecting in Hell turns out to be an extremely important and widespread practice that passes the time and gives an illusion of meaning to existence. This zone of the exhibition demonstrates how collecting practices in the M1 sector come in touch with the vestimentary sphere, and, as a result, not only serve as a coping strategy, but also create relationships between people, that are similar to market relationships, artificially maintaining a dynamic that is void of any meaning in the circumstances of timelessness and in the absence of succession of generations. However, for their collections the damned and "demons" are ready to undergo immense suffering and commit horrific acts, as is seen, for example, from a drawn diary, describing a terrible visit of a collector to one of the damned.

Collecting and Gathering

06

ZONE

Nothing ever heals in Hell, so a collection of blood drops taken from the fingers of the damned has a special value for the "demon"-owner of this shirt. Each glass slide is inscribed with memorable words that people uttered during the corresponding interaction. Collecting is of utmost importance in everyday life of Hell's inhabitants (this is described in detail in Zone 6 of the present exhibition).

Despite the widespread proto-market practices of clothing exchange, a superstition prevails in Hell that undergarments one died wearing should under no circumstances fall into someone else's hands, and especially into the hands of "demons," to ensure that one does not get the additional anguish transferred from them. Underwear is marked with warding crosses, and the needle and thread used for this work are supposed to be kept in safety. Here is a collection of such underwear together with warding needles gathered by "demon" Mark Shtern, despite the damned's resistance.

The damned soul Yakov Petrovsky entered Hell with a family album, and has been obsessively creating similar works for the last thirteen years. Each work exhibited below (here are five selected from several dozen) is an attempt to recreate, with the aid of "costumes," his patchy memories of tales from family members, about themselves or other characters in the album.

A graphic novel diary telling how a "demon" took a ring away from a damned soul for their collection, and a necklace gradually created by this "demon" from the rings tied together by dried sheep intestine.

Linor Goralik

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