Stephan Küpper's Analysis of Authorial Strategies in Moscow Conceptualism

In his 2002 work, "Autorstrategien im Moskauer Konzeptualismus," Stephan Küpper explores the theme of authorship as it relates to Moscow conceptual artists Il’ja Kabakov, Lev Rubinshtejn, and Dmitrij A. Prigov. The book features a table of contents that lacks numbered hierarchies and incorporates Russian quotations for chapter titles. Engaging with Foucault's ideas on the "death of the author" and Butler's concept of performative identity, Küpper introduces "auctorial strategies." He discusses the Soviet context where state power constrained independent authorship. Küpper examines Kabakov's pieces such as "10 personazhei" and "V nashem Zheke," along with Rubinshtein's index cards. He concludes that Prigov's subject is heteronomous, while authority remains autonomous. The review critiques Küpper's historical framework and underscores the ties between Russian writers and German Slavonic scholars.