Diary of Chikatilo

The work refers to the mass psychoses caused by the serial killer Andrey Chikatilo, who operated in the final decade of the Soviet Union. The maniac was eventually captured in 1990 and executed four years later. Examining various rumours, fears, and mythologies, the artist created a schoolboy’s diary, imagining a boy who could potentially become a maniac. (Chikatilo was born and spent his childhood in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine.)

1995. A school notebook with a 17-page spread, collage (paper, postcards, photographs, bird feathers, animal hair, 21 × 29.7 cm); framed photograph, C-print (55 × 70 cm).

Installation view: International House, Kharkiv, Ukraine