The Fourth 'Book of Schemes'. Album No. 1, the First Folder 1978

Editor: So this is Valerii Lamakh's, *The Fourth 'Book of Schemes'. Album No. 1, the First Folder* from 1978. It looks like a print, a series of circles actually. It reminds me a little of minimalist conceptual art, or maybe even some sort of instructional diagram. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Given the sociopolitical context of 1978 Soviet Ukraine, where Lamakh was working, I read these simple geometric forms as a quiet, yet potent, form of resistance. Consider the limitations imposed on artistic expression at the time. What might these circles represent in such a heavily controlled environment? Editor: You think they're more than just circles then? Curator: Absolutely. Think about the rigid control of information, the suppression of individual identity. The gradual simplification, the removal of elements across the sequence—could this be a commentary on the state's systematic stripping away of individuality and freedom? Editor: So the dots disappearing could represent the loss of self? I hadn't thought of that at all. Curator: Exactly. Lamakh may be exploring ideas of state control and societal erosion through this seemingly innocuous exercise in geometry. What appears simple becomes deeply political. Does the ordering imply something about cultural assimilation or the relentless march of time? Editor: That's fascinating. I'll definitely look at conceptual art from that era with a new perspective now. It's amazing how much can be conveyed through such simple forms. Curator: Precisely. The power of art often resides in its ability to provoke thought and spark critical conversations about the world around us.