Rimma Gerlovina and Valery Gerlovin are one of the founders of Moscow conceptualism. They started to work together in 1971 creating personal and common projects same time. Gerlovins were one of those who changed truism of role and position of spectacular and artist in the modern art. They used models of “games” in their works and often added irony as art device. Their favourite device was metaphor (hidden comparison), which gave opportunity to create multilayered sense characters. Artists worked in different genres: self-published books, graphics, performance, photography also were writing together theoretical articles and books about art.
The artwork “Pi” refers to the series "Photoglyphs", which were creating during 1989-1993 in USA (the place they emigrated in 1973). "Photoglyphs" (“bicker of the light”) is the series of conceptual photo portraits. Face and body of person at those artworks are used as artistic surface for placing images, symbols, signs and texts. And the model posing for photo become the part of created art object. Much attention at "Photoglyphs" gave to corporality that appeared at Gerlovins artworks at 70s. “Pi” composition demonstrates the freedom in handling with body: it can be “separated” on modules and compound again. When this happens there is no any deformation, destruction or violence. When combining several works it is possible to read off the game ground rules. It seems it is possible to move parts of composition like in push puzzle game so this is a hint to active dialogue of spectacular with artwork.
In "Photoglyphs" series the artists refer to abstract ideas and notions. Words and signs, in this case constant Pi character become the models of the photography together with Rimma and Valery. “Pi” refers to group of artworks inspired by mathematics phenomena: “Sphinx” (1990), “Magic R-squared” (1987), “Tetractys” (1989), “The Theorem of Pythagoras” (1989).
The photos created with the help of complex many-stage shooting without further processing by computer programs. This kind of technological “human-made” is the principal position of authors, this hours-long process of shooting reminds performance. “Photoglyphs" series combines individual and group past of artists: in alliance of two authors mixed philological education of Rimma and artistic education of Valery.
The artworks of this series visited 15 cities of USA, became the covers of magazines and books, presented in collections of DZ Bank (Germany), Microsoft Corporation (USA), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), Art Institute of Chicago (USA), Progressive Corporation (USA) and Australian National Gallery. V
