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

Valerii Lamakh made this drawing, one of his 'Book of Schemes' using ink or gouache, on paper. There’s a kind of hypnotic quality to this image, isn’t there? The way the simple geometric forms—circles, lines, crosses—are repeated and arranged. I love how the hand-drawn quality of the lines makes the symmetry feel a bit off, a bit wobbly. It's as if the artist is reminding us that perfection is not the point. The black lines are opaque, solid, while the other colours, a muted gold and grey, have a lighter touch. In the centre, there is a circle with a cross in the centre, and arrows all pointing inward. It draws your eye and your mind to the centre of the work, like a portal. Lamakh's interest in signs and symbols reminds me of the work of Agnes Martin, who was similarly interested in how simple forms could hold complex meanings. It makes you wonder, what schemes was Lamakh mapping? Or perhaps, more importantly, what schemes were mapping him? Art is like that, a question, not an answer.