The Fourth 'Book of Schemes'. Album #1, the Third Folder 1978

Editor: This is Valerii Lamakh's "The Fourth 'Book of Schemes'. Album #1, the Third Folder" created in 1978. It's a drawing featuring geometric patterns and some numbers scattered around. I find the composition intriguing but also quite puzzling; it almost looks like a coded message or a page from an architect's notebook. What do you make of it? Curator: This piece invites us to consider the constraints placed upon artistic expression, particularly within the socio-political context of the Soviet Union during the late 1970s. Lamakh, as a Ukrainian artist, may have been subtly encoding dissent or exploring systems of thought outside the dominant ideology through these geometric "schemes." Does the presence of these somewhat scientific diagrams remind you of the suppression of creative liberty through state regulation? Editor: I see what you mean! It’s almost as if he's using this structured visual language as a safe way to explore other ideas and stay within the lines, quite literally, but there is more here than what one might notice initially. What does the use of numbers signify to you? Curator: The numbers surrounding each shape—could they represent an attempt to quantify the unquantifiable, to dissect and categorize something inherently fluid like artistic inspiration? Or, perhaps, Lamakh critiques the rationalization and standardization within Soviet society, applying them to this creative practice. Editor: That makes a lot of sense. I hadn't considered it as a potential form of resistance through abstraction. So it's a matter of seeing the context and what was expected in the historical moment and recognizing how artists used art to rebel? Curator: Precisely. The conceptual aspect encourages us to think beyond the surface. Do you see now how artistic expression is affected by a socio-political structure that encourages certain patterns? Editor: Definitely! Looking at art in this new light is fascinating and helps add layers of understanding and I appreciate learning about Lamakh! Curator: Likewise! Art is enriched with different interpretations.