“Rayism: Iconography of the Invisible” is an exhibition devoted to the scientific, philosophical and spiritual discoveries of the 19th and 20th centuries that helped form the basis of the concept of pictorial rayism by Mikhail Larionov and Natalia Goncharova.

The combination of positivist science and occultism was one of the most paradoxical features of turn-of-the-century culture. It was this cultural atmosphere that became the breeding ground for the birth of many avant-garde experiments in art. Mikhail Larionov’s rayism was no exception. Like many European avant-garde artists, Larionov created the concept of rayism based on the scientific occult mythologies of his time.

The turn of the century in European culture was marked by stunning discoveries that changed the usual optical perceptions and allowed us to penetrate into the territory of the invisible. By the beginning of the 20th century a special mythology and even a special culture of radiations observed during spiritistic séances or in scientific laboratories was formed.

An accidental font was created especially for the exhibition, which is the main stylistic constant. The font looks modern, but stylistically corresponds to the era of the early 20th century. The combination of rigid, angular forms and bunches of rays conveys the meaning of the exhibition: the concept of rayism was based on a clear worldview, which is materialized in the paintings through rays. The typeface works well at different scales and on different media.