Zoo-Homo Sapiens @ Rimma Gerlovina & Valeriy Gerlovin. 1977

- GERLOVINA Rimma & GERLOVIN Valeriy, Zoo-Homo Sapiens, 17 février 1977, Moscou.

‘‘Presented at the Eastern European Biennal in Venice, the performance touches upon the primeval state of human nature. We were seated naked in a cage labelled ‘Homo sapiens, a group of mammals, male and female’ – as a symbol of the encagement of Russian culture by the Soviet regime. On the metaphorical side, it was an archetypal symbol and a mental-psychological experiment. The image of a cage might have social, mental, emotional or physical connotations, or it can incorporates all of these. If we accept the definition of freedom as the conscious awareness of necessity (for many individuals necessity might be associated with the cage to a certain extend), the natural outcome of such perception would be a desire to get rid of such ‘freedom’. On the other hand, in certain situations, self-caging also implies self-imposed isolation and is not only a symbol of limitation, but also a kind of safeguarding that is helpful in the process of formation and reformation of the psyche. This was a prime ‘tool’ in ancient yoga and other ascetic practices of different spiritual traditions.’’ (Rimma Gerlovina & Valeriy Gerlovin)