Their subjects often reflect opposites, such as East and West, male and female, spirit and matter, and yet they work as one.
An exhibition at the Jule Collins Smith Museum featuring the work of Suzanne Scherer and Pavel Ouporov opened Aug. 28.
"Scherer and Ouporov are very interesting artists who are starting to achieve wide recognition," said Dennis Harper, curator of collections and exhibitions for JCSM.
Harper researches art for the museum and is responsible for choosing which exhibitions will be shown.
The exhibition "As Above, So Below: Recent Works by Scherer and Ouporov" includes 36 paintings, drawings, prints and various other forms of art.
Many of the pieces involve trees made by using gold leaf and outdoor scenes. One print shows a cloudy sky looming over the trees, while the words "as above so below" are visible in a pool of water. Letters are also integrated throughout many of the pieces.
"My favorite works are the silver prints and the etchings," said Jessica Hughes, curatorial assistant.
One thing that makes the exhibition unique from the museum's other works is the relationship between the artists--they are married.
"What's amazing, to me at least, is that it's a collaboration," said Colleen Bourdeau, marketing and events manager.
Scherer was born in the United States and traveled to Moscow after earning a Master of Fine Arts from Brooklyn College.
Harper said she was the first American visual artist accepted into the International Research & Exchanges Board during the Soviet period.
Ouporov attended the Surikov Academy before being sent into mandatory military service. His skill in art helped steer him away from combat duty.
Harper said Ouporov produced things like billboards and posters for the city of Pechi instead.
Scherer and Ouporov met in Moscow while working under opposing art directions.
Harper said neither was proficient in the other's language. They began marking on each other's art as they could not verbally critique it. This is where they began their collaboration as artists.
"Their subjects often reflect opposites...while simultaneously dispelling the idea that they are some how separate entities or concepts," Harper said.
Harper said he believes Scherer and Ouporov's work could appeal to a diverse audience.
"We have published a fully illustrated, hard-cover catalogue to accompany the exhibition," Harper said. "However, I do encourage each viewer to reach within his or her personal experiences to draw their own conclusions about what Scherer and Ouporov's art implies."
The exhibition is open until Nov. 27. The museum encourages anyone interested to attend a free lecture and reception by Scherer and Ouporov about their work Sept. 24 at 6 p.m.
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