Russian Fairy Tales

The first paintings in this series emerged in 2023 as a result of the Artist’s observations concerning global political developments. In the times of such radical shifts, people often turn to the past, looking for historical solutions to the current economic, social, political, and cultural issues.

Historical background has always provided the key reference point for one’s worldview, and every time it is recontextualised signals the resurgence of a nation’s historical consciousness and self-awareness. The desire to get back to the roots often has to do with a pressing need for a renewed sense of a personal or national identity. The age of postmodernist questing and global civilisational transformation gives rise to a phenomenon defined by various scholars as the ‘return to the roots’ or ‘back to the source.’ Here, historical facts, legendary and folkloric narratives are reinterpreted according to the challenges of a new reality.

In this series, Ms. Marina Fedorova addresses popular pagan and Old Slavic imagery, especially that surviving in the form of epic and fairy tales traditionally told to the Russian children generation after generation. Finding herself in search of an internal holding ground and viable source of identity, the Artist finds moral support in the national folklore and draws inspiration from the characters known since childhood times.

The large-scale oil-on-canvas paintings are illustrative and theatrical in nature. The Artist captures her characters in a certain attitude and at a specific point of the story, giving each one of them pride of place in the overall composition. Infiltrating traditional imagery with recognisable everyday objects and household items of the 21st century, she arrives at a new visual sensibility perceived through the prism of the present day. Ms. Fedorova places her folktale and mythological subjects in a metamodernist context, marrying the traditional and historical with the currently relevant and creating imagery designed to conform to the new storyline unfolding inside her mind. The painter narrates her own fairy tales, at times coming up with an apocalyptic plot for the ancient characters to raise awareness of such problems as depletion of traditions, breakdown of continuity, and loss of connection to the source of folk culture.

Ms. Fedorva treats the first work in the series as a stage act, infusing it with an atmosphere of a chaotic theatrical backdrop reinforced by the vibrant and flamboyant, at times even garish palette and plenty of symbolic and cultural references. Permanently residing in Munich, Germany, the Artist managed to get hold of a traditional Russian female outfit consisting of a sarafan dress and kokoshnik headpiece, proceeding to commission a forest photo shoot, trying on the role of a Russian folktale character. This role play provides an opportunity to simultaneously create an unusual self-portrait and revisit her national roots. As a result, we see the Artist in a fairytale context surrounded by clichéd imagery long since associated with Russian culture: an embroidered red sarafan and kokoshnik, a brown bear, a matryoshka doll, and deep woods through which one is able to see the recognisable outlines of the Moscow Kremlin. Another stereotyped motif is that of a wooden hut surrounded by a fence decorated with human skulls – an obvious allusion to the netherworld and Baba Yaga as its constant dweller.

Giving centre stage to the female protagonist, the Artist emphasises the humans’ leading role and narcissistic nature, although traditional pre-Christian beliefs never treated men as the pinnacle of creation, instructing them to live in harmony with nature while being an integral part of the Universe. Visually dividing the painting’s space in two, the Artist symbolically depicts Slavic cosmology with its multiple realms in a state of constant interaction, primarily those of men and of the otherworldly beings appearing in fairy and epic tales.

Using unnaturally vibrant colours to highlight some of the painted elements – like for instance the ferns – Ms. Fedorova established a visible borderline between the two worlds, long closed to the modern-day people by virtue of changed beliefs and new values and domains of focus, including the Internet, the outer space, metaphysical realms, social media, and virtual reality. Pictured next to the Russian beauty we see robots as attributes of the modern civilisation. In the present day, they act as the magical animals of yore that used to perform the tasks of helping and guiding the main fairytale characters, assisting them in their difficult exploits.

Behind the female protagonist we see a bear painted with subdued hues and thus also appearing ghostly and otherworldly. Within the archaic belief system, the bear was perceived as the most supernaturally powerful animal on par with the wolf. He was the principal figure and ruler of the transcendental. Believed to be the lord of the otherworldly, the bear was associated with abundance, fertility, and sexuality. The Slavs viewed this animal as a human being, albeit belonging to a different ‘tribe.’ In certain folktales, references can be traced to an ancient legend about a bear taking a girl lost in the woods as his wife (echoes of which survive, for instance, in Masha and the Bear children’s story), which perhaps can account for the Artist depicting herself as a Russian beauty in the woods with a bear standing guard behind her back to protect her. Modern-day men certainly possess other skills, but have lost their connection to the bear-like power manifested in the now-defunct tradition of initiation rites symbolising the acceptance of natural forces of the animal required for survival (like the hunting prowess needed to provide for the family). In its turn, the understanding of the woman’s role in contemporary world has also seen major transformations, as reflected in other works of Ms. Fedorova’s series, like for example the Swan Lady.

Richly decorated with golden patterns and widely accepted as the archetypal Russian toy (although in fact harking back to the ancient Japanese culture), the matryoshka doll acts here as a source of aggression and hostility: the metal braces that hold her in place suggest a sadistic disorder associated with intentionally inducing fear and pain in victims unused to accepting the subversive aspects of the traditional folk culture.

The artwork’s title speaks of its surreal, fantasy-like nature, pronouncing a desire to escape from the harsh realities into a fairytale world. An obvious reference to Salvador Dalí’s Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening, it reiterates the great Surrealist’s approach to both the creative process and the way of dealing with various current events. As such, an attempt of the archaic characters to populate the domain of modernity with its new rules shaped by religious consciousness and globalisation is seen as surreal.

A highly allusive artwork from the Fairy Tales series, Swan Lady redefines the way women are perceived and portrayed in the 21st century, creating an impression contrasting to that invoked by its predecessor, The Swan Princess by Mikhail Vrubel. Contrary to Vrubel, the contemporary painter tends to gauge the present against the past, and not vice versa. Just like in the historical painting, the moment pictured by Ms. Marina Fedorova is that of a magical transformation in which the real meets the fictional, underscoring the dual nature of the bird maiden. Just like her great Russian forerunner, the contemporary Artist chose a particular colour palette corresponding to a specific time of day, the only marked difference being that the new Swan Princess is rendered against a wintery background indicating not just a season but a metaphor for the afterlife: within the traditional culture, winter was associated with severe weather conditions that not everyone was fit to survive. The North was the abode of ancestor souls where a living person was forbidden to tread (interestingly, the blessed souls of the ancient Egyptian kings were also believed to migrate North, in the direction of the Polaris).

Ms. Marina Fedorova paints the world anew, foregrounding the bleeding Swan Princess devoid of her soul. The Artist intentionally leaves the protagonist’s eyes blank: black and lifeless, they are overrun by horrifying darkness, as the Princess has become an empty soulless shell, retaining all but a trace of her identity which can be recognised by elements of her folk costume. The character is apparently frozen in the state of transformation – a kind of human-to-animal or human-to-bird metamorphosis that is reflected in various shape-shifter legends echoing the ancient worship of totemic animals and witchcraft requiring special rituals, invocations, or magic objects. In folklore, such metamorphoses seem to allude to initiation rites, indicating a ceremonial passage between different stages of human life; in this case, for instance, the girl gaining birdlike traits was transitioning to adulthood and subsequent wifedom as swans are believed to mate for life. It is after this magical transformation signifying ritual initiation that a young girl would be ready for and capable of transitioning to a new status of a married woman. The avian symbolism also establishes links between the female character and the mythical celestial birds producing light and warmth, redefining the ancient connection between nature and the woman’s unique calling as a life-giver. Addressing this archaic image, Ms. Fedorova speaks of the broken connection to the natural forces and capacities manifested in the character’s inability to transfigure. In the Artist’s version, the Swan Princess is stuck at the stage of initiation, no longer a bird, but not yet a powerful female ruler invested with responsibility for her own home and household represented by an entire kingdom sheltering all living beings. Also worth noting is the fact that the princess is bleeding at the abdomen – the source of all things according to ancient beliefs, the place of inception and growth of a new life, here visually signals a disruption of the timeless life continuation cycle.

The painting is replete with symbolism: the egg and treasure chest seen in its left part by the Swan Princess’s feet reference the mystery of death of Koshchei the Immortal, the archetypal male antagonist in Russian fairy tales, and for a good reason. These objects allude to the sacral rituals traditionally performed to symbolically ‘bury’ winter and usher in the spring renewal, with the figure of Koshchei representing the lord of the underworld, the spirit of winter and death ultimately conquered by a girl who has the power to transform into a bird (either a little duck or the Swan Princess, depending on the specific narrative) signifying her role as the allegory of spring and blossoming. These images are easily deciphered and interpreted by a viewer rooted in the Russian culture, while their sacral significance prompts one to reflect on the picture’s other encrypted meanings.

Toward the background of her Swan Lady painting, Ms. Marina Fedorova chose to add another quintessential feature instantly recognisable by the Russian viewers. It is the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl – the strikingly beautiful architectural monument dating back to the 12th century and built at the heart of medieval Russia, in the village of Bogolyubovo in the Vladimir Oblast. The church was commissioned by Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky to commemorate the death of his son Iziaslav who had sustained deadly injuries during a military expedition. Thus the beautiful airy structure that seems to float above the ground not only acts as a place of religious worship but doubles as a funerary and commemorative edifice. In this way the painting superimposes the symbols associated with pagan beliefs and still retained in folklore and fairy tales with the later Russian Orthodox tradition, and finally modern-day agenda epitomised by the plane about to soar above the church and thus bring the viewer back to the current reality.

The ‘fairytale’ series wraps up the imagery seen by the Artist as being specific to the Russian culture, belonging to the nation’s semiotic system and cultural code. All paintings containing references to Russian fairy tales (and subsequently the folktales of other traditions) are symbolically rich and highly characteristic of their creator’s vision. The Artist’s distinctive interpretations and associations coupled with the challenges of the present moment create new tales and stories rooted in the historic past.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert

Russian Fairy Tales

The first paintings in this series emerged in 2023 as a result of the Artist’s observations concerning global political developments. In the times of such radical shifts, people often turn to the past, looking for historical solutions to the current economic, social, political, and cultural issues.

Historical background has always provided the key reference point for one’s worldview, and every time it is recontextualised signals the resurgence of a nation’s historical consciousness and self-awareness. The desire to get back to the roots often has to do with a pressing need for a renewed sense of a personal or national identity. The age of postmodernist questing and global civilisational transformation gives rise to a phenomenon defined by various scholars as the ‘return to the roots’ or ‘back to the source.’ Here, historical facts, legendary and folkloric narratives are reinterpreted according to the challenges of a new reality.

In this series, Ms. Marina Fedorova addresses popular pagan and Old Slavic imagery, especially that surviving in the form of epic and fairy tales traditionally told to the Russian children generation after generation. Finding herself in search of an internal holding ground and viable source of identity, the Artist finds moral support in the national folklore and draws inspiration from the characters known since childhood times.

The large-scale oil-on-canvas paintings are illustrative and theatrical in nature. The Artist captures her characters in a certain attitude and at a specific point of the story, giving each one of them pride of place in the overall composition. Infiltrating traditional imagery with recognisable everyday objects and household items of the 21st century, she arrives at a new visual sensibility perceived through the prism of the present day. Ms. Fedorova places her folktale and mythological subjects in a metamodernist context, marrying the traditional and historical with the currently relevant and creating imagery designed to conform to the new storyline unfolding inside her mind. The painter narrates her own fairy tales, at times coming up with an apocalyptic plot for the ancient characters to raise awareness of such problems as depletion of traditions, breakdown of continuity, and loss of connection to the source of folk culture.

Ms. Fedorva treats the first work in the series as a stage act, infusing it with an atmosphere of a chaotic theatrical backdrop reinforced by the vibrant and flamboyant, at times even garish palette and plenty of symbolic and cultural references. Permanently residing in Munich, Germany, the Artist managed to get hold of a traditional Russian female outfit consisting of a sarafan dress and kokoshnik headpiece, proceeding to commission a forest photo shoot, trying on the role of a Russian folktale character. This role play provides an opportunity to simultaneously create an unusual self-portrait and revisit her national roots. As a result, we see the Artist in a fairytale context surrounded by clichéd imagery long since associated with Russian culture: an embroidered red sarafan and kokoshnik, a brown bear, a matryoshka doll, and deep woods through which one is able to see the recognisable outlines of the Moscow Kremlin. Another stereotyped motif is that of a wooden hut surrounded by a fence decorated with human skulls – an obvious allusion to the netherworld and Baba Yaga as its constant dweller.

Giving centre stage to the female protagonist, the Artist emphasises the humans’ leading role and narcissistic nature, although traditional pre-Christian beliefs never treated men as the pinnacle of creation, instructing them to live in harmony with nature while being an integral part of the Universe. Visually dividing the painting’s space in two, the Artist symbolically depicts Slavic cosmology with its multiple realms in a state of constant interaction, primarily those of men and of the otherworldly beings appearing in fairy and epic tales.

Using unnaturally vibrant colours to highlight some of the painted elements – like for instance the ferns – Ms. Fedorova established a visible borderline between the two worlds, long closed to the modern-day people by virtue of changed beliefs and new values and domains of focus, including the Internet, the outer space, metaphysical realms, social media, and virtual reality. Pictured next to the Russian beauty we see robots as attributes of the modern civilisation. In the present day, they act as the magical animals of yore that used to perform the tasks of helping and guiding the main fairytale characters, assisting them in their difficult exploits.

Behind the female protagonist we see a bear painted with subdued hues and thus also appearing ghostly and otherworldly. Within the archaic belief system, the bear was perceived as the most supernaturally powerful animal on par with the wolf. He was the principal figure and ruler of the transcendental. Believed to be the lord of the otherworldly, the bear was associated with abundance, fertility, and sexuality. The Slavs viewed this animal as a human being, albeit belonging to a different ‘tribe.’ In certain folktales, references can be traced to an ancient legend about a bear taking a girl lost in the woods as his wife (echoes of which survive, for instance, in Masha and the Bear children’s story), which perhaps can account for the Artist depicting herself as a Russian beauty in the woods with a bear standing guard behind her back to protect her. Modern-day men certainly possess other skills, but have lost their connection to the bear-like power manifested in the now-defunct tradition of initiation rites symbolising the acceptance of natural forces of the animal required for survival (like the hunting prowess needed to provide for the family). In its turn, the understanding of the woman’s role in contemporary world has also seen major transformations, as reflected in other works of Ms. Fedorova’s series, like for example the Swan Lady.

Richly decorated with golden patterns and widely accepted as the archetypal Russian toy (although in fact harking back to the ancient Japanese culture), the matryoshka doll acts here as a source of aggression and hostility: the metal braces that hold her in place suggest a sadistic disorder associated with intentionally inducing fear and pain in victims unused to accepting the subversive aspects of the traditional folk culture.

The artwork’s title speaks of its surreal, fantasy-like nature, pronouncing a desire to escape from the harsh realities into a fairytale world. An obvious reference to Salvador Dalí’s Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening, it reiterates the great Surrealist’s approach to both the creative process and the way of dealing with various current events. As such, an attempt of the archaic characters to populate the domain of modernity with its new rules shaped by religious consciousness and globalisation is seen as surreal.

A highly allusive artwork from the Fairy Tales series, Swan Lady redefines the way women are perceived and portrayed in the 21st century, creating an impression contrasting to that invoked by its predecessor, The Swan Princess by Mikhail Vrubel. Contrary to Vrubel, the contemporary painter tends to gauge the present against the past, and not vice versa. Just like in the historical painting, the moment pictured by Ms. Marina Fedorova is that of a magical transformation in which the real meets the fictional, underscoring the dual nature of the bird maiden. Just like her great Russian forerunner, the contemporary Artist chose a particular colour palette corresponding to a specific time of day, the only marked difference being that the new Swan Princess is rendered against a wintery background indicating not just a season but a metaphor for the afterlife: within the traditional culture, winter was associated with severe weather conditions that not everyone was fit to survive. The North was the abode of ancestor souls where a living person was forbidden to tread (interestingly, the blessed souls of the ancient Egyptian kings were also believed to migrate North, in the direction of the Polaris).

Ms. Marina Fedorova paints the world anew, foregrounding the bleeding Swan Princess devoid of her soul. The Artist intentionally leaves the protagonist’s eyes blank: black and lifeless, they are overrun by horrifying darkness, as the Princess has become an empty soulless shell, retaining all but a trace of her identity which can be recognised by elements of her folk costume. The character is apparently frozen in the state of transformation – a kind of human-to-animal or human-to-bird metamorphosis that is reflected in various shape-shifter legends echoing the ancient worship of totemic animals and witchcraft requiring special rituals, invocations, or magic objects. In folklore, such metamorphoses seem to allude to initiation rites, indicating a ceremonial passage between different stages of human life; in this case, for instance, the girl gaining birdlike traits was transitioning to adulthood and subsequent wifedom as swans are believed to mate for life. It is after this magical transformation signifying ritual initiation that a young girl would be ready for and capable of transitioning to a new status of a married woman. The avian symbolism also establishes links between the female character and the mythical celestial birds producing light and warmth, redefining the ancient connection between nature and the woman’s unique calling as a life-giver. Addressing this archaic image, Ms. Fedorova speaks of the broken connection to the natural forces and capacities manifested in the character’s inability to transfigure. In the Artist’s version, the Swan Princess is stuck at the stage of initiation, no longer a bird, but not yet a powerful female ruler invested with responsibility for her own home and household represented by an entire kingdom sheltering all living beings. Also worth noting is the fact that the princess is bleeding at the abdomen – the source of all things according to ancient beliefs, the place of inception and growth of a new life, here visually signals a disruption of the timeless life continuation cycle.

The painting is replete with symbolism: the egg and treasure chest seen in its left part by the Swan Princess’s feet reference the mystery of death of Koshchei the Immortal, the archetypal male antagonist in Russian fairy tales, and for a good reason. These objects allude to the sacral rituals traditionally performed to symbolically ‘bury’ winter and usher in the spring renewal, with the figure of Koshchei representing the lord of the underworld, the spirit of winter and death ultimately conquered by a girl who has the power to transform into a bird (either a little duck or the Swan Princess, depending on the specific narrative) signifying her role as the allegory of spring and blossoming. These images are easily deciphered and interpreted by a viewer rooted in the Russian culture, while their sacral significance prompts one to reflect on the picture’s other encrypted meanings.

Toward the background of her Swan Lady painting, Ms. Marina Fedorova chose to add another quintessential feature instantly recognisable by the Russian viewers. It is the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl – the strikingly beautiful architectural monument dating back to the 12th century and built at the heart of medieval Russia, in the village of Bogolyubovo in the Vladimir Oblast. The church was commissioned by Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky to commemorate the death of his son Iziaslav who had sustained deadly injuries during a military expedition. Thus the beautiful airy structure that seems to float above the ground not only acts as a place of religious worship but doubles as a funerary and commemorative edifice. In this way the painting superimposes the symbols associated with pagan beliefs and still retained in folklore and fairy tales with the later Russian Orthodox tradition, and finally modern-day agenda epitomised by the plane about to soar above the church and thus bring the viewer back to the current reality.

The ‘fairytale’ series wraps up the imagery seen by the Artist as being specific to the Russian culture, belonging to the nation’s semiotic system and cultural code. All paintings containing references to Russian fairy tales (and subsequently the folktales of other traditions) are symbolically rich and highly characteristic of their creator’s vision. The Artist’s distinctive interpretations and associations coupled with the challenges of the present moment create new tales and stories rooted in the historic past.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert

Black

The series of works entitled Black encompasses paintings sharing a similar chromatic approach. Immediately prior to turning to the monochrome palette, Ms. Marina Fedorova ventured into intaglio printmaking and photogravure, immersing herself in the aesthetic sensibility of black and white art prints. In the past, the Artist’s creative practice also featured instances of monochrome and black and white painting. The choice of this palette usually signals her wish to accentuate a certain emotional state that is being expressed by the artwork.

One of the paintings created early in 2025, Rock, is a rather vivid visual articulation of anguish and psychological tension. Its title is also suggestive of the Russian meaning of the world ‘rock’ signifying imminent fate or doom.

The painting is vertically arranged, with most of its central space being occupied by a shapeless black substance. Ms. Fedorova uses wide brush strokes to create the impression of a ‘living’ and moving black mass. Acting as the central focal point, it seems to be the picture’s main protagonist. Lying under this black dab is a woman’s body – tense and having hardly any bearings, it seems to float, lacking control over itself, with the dominant role and power surrendered to the dark matter that appears to lift and draw in its passive subject just like the impending and paralysing evil fate that cannot be escaped of one’s own volition. The present is inevitable, the future is unknown, there is no way out: all that interferes with life creates suffering and preordains plight. The image seems to allude to the religious and philosophical apology of affliction, the inability to affect one’s own destiny. Just as analytical psychology views human fate as a reflection of the internal, unconscious, and uncontrollable processes, so does Ms. Fedorova’s painting present the female figure as frail and powerless, incapable of making her own choices, and subject to the impartial destiny. Below the woman’s body, supporting the vertical composition, the Artist intentionally leaves downward streaks of paint, with the resulting impression of the dark matter piercing it through, pulling in all its lifeblood and sucking it dry. A surreal feel and the relevant positioning of the woman and her fate are achieved through conscious jettisoning of a clear perspective. Whereas the Surrealists of the past used to play with space by distorting perspective and blurring its boundaries, Ms. Marina Fedorova, too, creates an otherworldly atmosphere by sidestepping an accurately constructed spatial arrangement, ostensibly placing the scene in an unknown dimension impervious to the human mind.

Another painting in the series, Ljubljana Angel, also deals with the themes of doom, predestination, and inability to control one’s own life and fate. Its main character is presented as a marionette walking along the edge of a high-rise roof. A focal point of the picture, it is seen from behind, and its gender is difficult to determine. In this highly charged spectacle, sexual identity is effaced: it makes no difference who or what you are if you walk the tight line with something behind your back pulling at the strings and controlling your every move, infringing upon your body and subjecting it to the whim of unseen forces.

Painted in various shades of grey and black, with only the red strings providing a chromatic alternative, the canvas creates a profoundly tragic and depressive mood, with both its subject and palette suggesting loss of will and renunciation of growth, future, and, ultimately, life.

This powerful image of predestination that cannot be properly handled by the human protagonist envisions it in the form of strings attached to the figure’s hands and feet and used by someone to control it and steer it towards its dangerous path along the edge. Rather than portraying the point at which this choice was made, Ms. Fedorova concentrates on the main character’s acceptance of the unavoidable outcome that can take on the form of death. The strings become an important visual signifier and the only colourful detail in the entire painting – their red hue evokes bloody filaments, enhancing the visual representation of the loss of life. The symbolism of strings, threads, and weaving is still present in many cultures, alluding to the power of destiny and its role in human lives. The female characters of ancient myths and legends embodying the understanding of the earthly world order through the projection of cosmological beliefs – like the ancient Greek Moira Clotho, the Egyptian goddess Neith, the deities of the Scandinavians and Teutons like Hulda, Frigg and the Norns, the Mesopotamian goddesses Ishtar and Atargatis, and the Slavic Mokosh – were all weavers of destiny, creating the intricate cloth of the world and human fates and ultimately cutting the thread of life. In a similar fashion, the Artist uses this painting as a way to reflect on the lack of will and responsibility for one’s own decisions and path in life.

The artwork’s composition is such that the Artist appears to be an outside observer watching the scene from a building next door. The high rise pictured seems neither monumental nor even stable enough, its windowpanes pierced with cracks reflecting some dark world, and one gets the impression that the whole structure is crumbling or, if we focus long enough on the figure balancing on its roof, even swaying. Composition-wise, the picture has no solid point of support or balance, channelling a feeling of hopelessness and despair.

It might as well be that the entire series of works reflects the Artist’s emotional state impacted among other things by outside factors. This is an allegoric representation of the feelings of powerlessness and despair in the face of certain inevitable events and inability to make a palpable difference on anything taking place in this world.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert

Cosmo Fashion Show

The images of girls in bright colourful dresses, ostensibly alien in the COSMODREAMS series, were inspired by and stemmed from the Artist’s discovery of the culture of Saudi Arabia. Alongside the vivid visions of the country’s sandy expanses, Ms. Fedorova also encounters the traditional customs and values of this nation.

Throughout the time she spent working on the COSMODREAMS project, the Artist mostly approached the issues that she felt compelled to explore from the sociohistorical perspective. History has several functions of social importance, one of them being educational. It focuses on the specific study of the historical trajectory of a country and its peoples. Incidentally, the news of Saudi Arabia opening up to tourism gave the Artist a new creative impetus.

The 27th of September, 2019 proved to be an important historical milestone: Saudi Arabia officially opened doors to tourists. For the first time in history, the country started issuing tourist visas. The country’s interest in the development of international cultural ties allows more and more people to get to know the rich heritage and cultural code of this nation. Aiming for social and economic diversification, Saudi Arabia pays particular attention to promoting tourism, culture and leisure, as well as fashion industry, with the intention of making an important contribution to the realisation of the Saudi Vision 2030 strategy launched to increase the share of the country’s GDP not dependent on natural resources.

As a creative talent who has always been interested in the fashion industry, female representation and positioning, self-expressions through garments, fabrics, and images, Ms. Fedorova turned her gaze to the Saudi Arabian fashion. An inquiry into the subject of fashion, seemingly irrelevant to space exploration, was nevertheless akin to the study of uncharted territories, much like the cosmic and intergalactic expanses. During her artistic career, Ms. Marina Fedorova addressed fashion-related themes many times. In essence, her long creative journey started with the questioning of the clichéd female images in fashion and the stereotypes of contemporary culture that are actively introduced and promoted through the fashion industry. This time, however, the Artist eschews her signature colours – red, white, and black – that have been distinctly present across her body of work since 2005.

Ms. Marina Fedorova finds inspiration in the works of the contemporary Saudi fashion designer Yousef Akbar. The Artist is motivated by the way this male couturier designs his collections with due regard for the local culture and ‘national DNA.’ Such paintings as the Blue Dress, Green Dress, and Yellow Dress feature models wearing the young designer’s outfits. The colour palette generally uncharacteristic of the Artist further accentuates her special interest in the subject. Ms. Fedorova makes active use of new vibrant and highly saturated shades of blue, green, and yellow. She sets her female models against the backdrop of actual desert landscapes: the lush green oases where palm gardens were planted and the important local landmarks. Painstakingly detailing the green branches, making a special accent on the kingdom’s flora, the Artist seems to create for her characters a cool, inviting, and liveable space protected from the scorching heat. In the Blue Dress, the sandy landscape turns into shimmering dunes, refreshingly evocative of the sparkling snow on a sunny day. To give more substance to the theme, Ms. Fedorova created the Palm Women sculpture, visually recapping and consolidating the imagery of the series, and an augmented reality experience designed to accompany the sculpture and some of the paintings and further elaborate on the story of living in favourable climatic conditions. The oasis, a resource-rich place providing pure water, cool shade, and greenery in a land mostly covered by deserts sets a powerful historical and sociocultural context that shaped the lifestyle of the local population. The ability to exist in extreme climate determined the nation’s unique survival capacity. It also gave rise to the local myths and legends concerning the territory’s former greenness and abundance.

This new series logically fits into the COSMODREAMS project, as the Ancient-Greek-derived preposition ‘cosmo’ serves to indicate the whole gamut of meanings from the Universe as a complex orderly system to the outer space, while the ‘dreams’ part speaks for itself, alluding to daydreams, reveries, and aspirations. Drawing on this semantic context, the Artist created the VRCosmoFashionShow, setting her imaginary fashion show in virtual reality. The digitally sculpted models demonstrate couture dresses. The motionless sculptures resemble store mannequins. The wide extraterrestrial expanses in the background, however, belong in the outer space, signalling the equality of all nations and cultures in the face of the Universe we all share.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert

Cosmo Fashion Show

The images of girls in bright colourful dresses, ostensibly alien in the COSMODREAMS series, were inspired by and stemmed from the Artist’s discovery of the culture of Saudi Arabia. Alongside the vivid visions of the country’s sandy expanses, Ms. Fedorova also encounters the traditional customs and values of this nation.

Throughout the time she spent working on the COSMODREAMS project, the Artist mostly approached the issues that she felt compelled to explore from the sociohistorical perspective. History has several functions of social importance, one of them being educational. It focuses on the specific study of the historical trajectory of a country and its peoples. Incidentally, the news of Saudi Arabia opening up to tourism gave the Artist a new creative impetus.

The 27th of September, 2019 proved to be an important historical milestone: Saudi Arabia officially opened doors to tourists. For the first time in history, the country started issuing tourist visas. The country’s interest in the development of international cultural ties allows more and more people to get to know the rich heritage and cultural code of this nation. Aiming for social and economic diversification, Saudi Arabia pays particular attention to promoting tourism, culture and leisure, as well as fashion industry, with the intention of making an important contribution to the realisation of the Saudi Vision 2030 strategy launched to increase the share of the country’s GDP not dependent on natural resources.

As a creative talent who has always been interested in the fashion industry, female representation and positioning, self-expressions through garments, fabrics, and images, Ms. Fedorova turned her gaze to the Saudi Arabian fashion. An inquiry into the subject of fashion, seemingly irrelevant to space exploration, was nevertheless akin to the study of uncharted territories, much like the cosmic and intergalactic expanses. During her artistic career, Ms. Marina Fedorova addressed fashion-related themes many times. In essence, her long creative journey started with the questioning of the clichéd female images in fashion and the stereotypes of contemporary culture that are actively introduced and promoted through the fashion industry. This time, however, the Artist eschews her signature colours – red, white, and black – that have been distinctly present across her body of work since 2005.

Ms. Marina Fedorova finds inspiration in the works of the contemporary Saudi fashion designer Yousef Akbar. The Artist is motivated by the way this male couturier designs his collections with due regard for the local culture and ‘national DNA.’ Such paintings as the Blue Dress, Green Dress, and Yellow Dress feature models wearing the young designer’s outfits. The colour palette generally uncharacteristic of the Artist further accentuates her special interest in the subject. Ms. Fedorova makes active use of new vibrant and highly saturated shades of blue, green, and yellow. She sets her female models against the backdrop of actual desert landscapes: the lush green oases where palm gardens were planted and the important local landmarks. Painstakingly detailing the green branches, making a special accent on the kingdom’s flora, the Artist seems to create for her characters a cool, inviting, and liveable space protected from the scorching heat. In the Blue Dress, the sandy landscape turns into shimmering dunes, refreshingly evocative of the sparkling snow on a sunny day. To give more substance to the theme, Ms. Fedorova created the Palm Women sculpture, visually recapping and consolidating the imagery of the series, and an augmented reality experience designed to accompany the sculpture and some of the paintings and further elaborate on the story of living in favourable climatic conditions. The oasis, a resource-rich place providing pure water, cool shade, and greenery in a land mostly covered by deserts sets a powerful historical and sociocultural context that shaped the lifestyle of the local population. The ability to exist in extreme climate determined the nation’s unique survival capacity. It also gave rise to the local myths and legends concerning the territory’s former greenness and abundance.

This new series logically fits into the COSMODREAMS project, as the Ancient-Greek-derived preposition ‘cosmo’ serves to indicate the whole gamut of meanings from the Universe as a complex orderly system to the outer space, while the ‘dreams’ part speaks for itself, alluding to daydreams, reveries, and aspirations. Drawing on this semantic context, the Artist created the VRCosmoFashionShow, setting her imaginary fashion show in virtual reality. The digitally sculpted models demonstrate couture dresses. The motionless sculptures resemble store mannequins. The wide extraterrestrial expanses in the background, however, belong in the outer space, signalling the equality of all nations and cultures in the face of the Universe we all share.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert

Arabian Nights

The Artist embarked on creating a series of paintings that would later make up a separate thematic cluster within the COSMODREAMS project titled Arabian Nights after her trip to the Arabic countries.

Enchanted by the oriental culture, Ms. Marina Fedorova, as any true artist, resorts to the medium of painting to share her impressions. Hence she has integrated the previously experienced landscapes into the COSMODREAMS universe, merging her imaginary world with real cultural heritage sites of the Middle East. On this particular instance, the Artist used the theme of space conquest as a kind of bridge linking various civilisations – a domain of human endeavours providing limitless opportunities for scientific progress and other human achievements irrespective of cultural codes, faith or nationality. This philosophy is consistent with the doctrines voiced by the extraordinary Russian and Soviet self-taught scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857–1935) who believed that space exploration is bound to unite mankind into a single nation that would inhabit the endless expanse of the Universe while constantly growing in numbers.

One of the pictures in this cluster was inspired by the annual Traditional Dhow Boat Festival in Qatar. For centuries, wooden dhow boats have been navigating the Arabian Sea as the principal mode of transportation, bringing fresh water, fruit, and other commodities to local inhabitants. The painting illustrates the Artist’s fantasy about the preservation of the national and cultural heritage and the possible transformations of local cultural artefacts in the age of rapidly developing space technologies. The artwork bears a distinct imprint of Ms. Fedorova’s signature painting style, frequently seen in her urban landscapes. It gives us a chance to infer which city left a mark in the Artist’s heart and memory, and which people and events she now associates it with.

Characteristically, such paintings as There (2014) from the Reflections project (similar in terms of composition and even colour scheme), as well as NY (2014, Reflections), Night in the City (2015, Reflections), and other cityscapes rendered by the Artist clearly demonstrate Ms. Fedorova’s tendency to admire the beauty of human creations with a childlike candidness.

The Martian Night painting is a reference to the tales of One Thousand and One Nights with their enchanting plot twists, colourful characters, and magic. The Artist changes the setting of one of these spellbinding stories which now takes place in the extraterrestrial realms, on the red planet of Mars. The ancient folk tale acquires new shape: we see a future Aladdin who has nevertheless retained his cultural DNA and national identity with its characteristic mastery of magical objects and artefacts. As for the gymnast girl sculpture, this is one of the recurring images across the Artist’s oeuvre, allowing her to link together several distinct artworks within the COSMODREAMS project, including the Space Art Odyssey video and the 3D-printed sculpture. In addition, an AR scenario created for the picture effortlessly blends the classical painting elements of oil, canvas, and academic composition with advanced digital art medium.

The painting features various shades of reddish orange and blue – quite an unusual colour combination for the Artist. Orange is a multifaceted colour with rich symbolic meanings in different cultures. It is very much present in Asian religions, implying spiritual perfection and the ultimate state of enlightenment.

The Artist seems to allude to the wisdom and knowledge passed down with epic tales and legends which are never affected by time. In the modern world, traditional folk tales are as relevant as before and can easily adjust to current trends and circumstances.

White Mosque was inspired by one of the world’s largest mosques. The grand, impeccably white structure looks pure and weightless, as if floating above the ground. Ms. Marina Fedorova visualizes this priceless piece of architectural heritage intact after many centuries and perhaps even millennia, looking into the future with a firm belief that important cultural objects will retain their authenticity despite globalisation and the trailblazing discoveries in space.

Yet another artwork featuring a colour palette uncharacteristic of the Artist is called Al-‘Ula. Its title refers to the architectural landmark designated as the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This until recently closed country is a true natural and cultural gem. The painting may be seen as Ms. Marina Fedorova’s evocative tribute to one of the majestic Nabatean tombs of Al-‘Ula. The inclusion of a spaceship into the picture connects it to the project’s recurring theme of space exploration. For this painting, too, the Artist came up with an alternative story realised as an AR scenario activated through the COSMODREAMS AR app. Digital art is employed here as an auxiliary tool allowing one to step beyond the confines of a two-dimensional canvas and imagine what could happen in this beautiful unspoilt oasis.

The subject and composition of the final work in this cluster is somewhat reminiscent of an older painting dating from 2011, At Home. In 222 Dubai, created in 2023, Ms. Fedorova also depicts a female figure standing with her back turned to the viewer and visually resembling the Artist herself. The female protagonist is staring out of a large panoramic window as the entire history of a country unfolds outside, witnessing the most sophisticated technologies being boldly introduced while the national identity is carefully preserved. Perhaps in the near future no one would be surprised by the sight of disk-shaped aircrafts like the one visible in the top right corner. By painting this minor detail against the clear sky, the Artist seems to hint at the idea of a bright and serene future professed by her predecessors, thinkers and scholars of the Russian cosmism movement, who envisioned the advancement of space technologies. The picture tangibly differs in mood from At Home; this difference is further reinforced by the fact that the protagonist is holding on to a handle of a suitcase painted in Ms. Fedorova’s favourite colours. This ostensibly minor detail immediately captures the viewer’s attention: standing in stark contrast to the blue and grey shades of the rest of the canvas, it clearly becomes its focal point. The travel accessory acts as the epitome of something important that each of us carries through life, be it experience, knowledge, impressions, pain, grievances, disappointments, dreams or hopes.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert

Arabian Nights

The Artist embarked on creating a series of paintings that would later make up a separate thematic cluster within the COSMODREAMS project titled Arabian Nights after her trip to the Arabic countries.

Enchanted by the oriental culture, Ms. Marina Fedorova, as any true artist, resorts to the medium of painting to share her impressions. Hence she has integrated the previously experienced landscapes into the COSMODREAMS universe, merging her imaginary world with real cultural heritage sites of the Middle East. On this particular instance, the Artist used the theme of space conquest as a kind of bridge linking various civilisations – a domain of human endeavours providing limitless opportunities for scientific progress and other human achievements irrespective of cultural codes, faith or nationality. This philosophy is consistent with the doctrines voiced by the extraordinary Russian and Soviet self-taught scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857–1935) who believed that space exploration is bound to unite mankind into a single nation that would inhabit the endless expanse of the Universe while constantly growing in numbers.

One of the pictures in this cluster was inspired by the annual Traditional Dhow Boat Festival in Qatar. For centuries, wooden dhow boats have been navigating the Arabian Sea as the principal mode of transportation, bringing fresh water, fruit, and other commodities to local inhabitants. The painting illustrates the Artist’s fantasy about the preservation of the national and cultural heritage and the possible transformations of local cultural artefacts in the age of rapidly developing space technologies. The artwork bears a distinct imprint of Ms. Fedorova’s signature painting style, frequently seen in her urban landscapes. It gives us a chance to infer which city left a mark in the Artist’s heart and memory, and which people and events she now associates it with.

Characteristically, such paintings as There (2014) from the Reflections project (similar in terms of composition and even colour scheme), as well as NY (2014, Reflections), Night in the City (2015, Reflections), and other cityscapes rendered by the Artist clearly demonstrate Ms. Fedorova’s tendency to admire the beauty of human creations with a childlike candidness.

The Martian Night painting is a reference to the tales of One Thousand and One Nights with their enchanting plot twists, colourful characters, and magic. The Artist changes the setting of one of these spellbinding stories which now takes place in the extraterrestrial realms, on the red planet of Mars. The ancient folk tale acquires new shape: we see a future Aladdin who has nevertheless retained his cultural DNA and national identity with its characteristic mastery of magical objects and artefacts. As for the gymnast girl sculpture, this is one of the recurring images across the Artist’s oeuvre, allowing her to link together several distinct artworks within the COSMODREAMS project, including the Space Art Odyssey video and the 3D-printed sculpture. In addition, an AR scenario created for the picture effortlessly blends the classical painting elements of oil, canvas, and academic composition with advanced digital art medium.

The painting features various shades of reddish orange and blue – quite an unusual colour combination for the Artist. Orange is a multifaceted colour with rich symbolic meanings in different cultures. It is very much present in Asian religions, implying spiritual perfection and the ultimate state of enlightenment.

The Artist seems to allude to the wisdom and knowledge passed down with epic tales and legends which are never affected by time. In the modern world, traditional folk tales are as relevant as before and can easily adjust to current trends and circumstances.

White Mosque was inspired by one of the world’s largest mosques. The grand, impeccably white structure looks pure and weightless, as if floating above the ground. Ms. Marina Fedorova visualizes this priceless piece of architectural heritage intact after many centuries and perhaps even millennia, looking into the future with a firm belief that important cultural objects will retain their authenticity despite globalisation and the trailblazing discoveries in space.

Yet another artwork featuring a colour palette uncharacteristic of the Artist is called Al-‘Ula. Its title refers to the architectural landmark designated as the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This until recently closed country is a true natural and cultural gem. The painting may be seen as Ms. Marina Fedorova’s evocative tribute to one of the majestic Nabatean tombs of Al-‘Ula. The inclusion of a spaceship into the picture connects it to the project’s recurring theme of space exploration. For this painting, too, the Artist came up with an alternative story realised as an AR scenario activated through the COSMODREAMS AR app. Digital art is employed here as an auxiliary tool allowing one to step beyond the confines of a two-dimensional canvas and imagine what could happen in this beautiful unspoilt oasis.

The subject and composition of the final work in this cluster is somewhat reminiscent of an older painting dating from 2011, At Home. In 222 Dubai, created in 2023, Ms. Fedorova also depicts a female figure standing with her back turned to the viewer and visually resembling the Artist herself. The female protagonist is staring out of a large panoramic window as the entire history of a country unfolds outside, witnessing the most sophisticated technologies being boldly introduced while the national identity is carefully preserved. Perhaps in the near future no one would be surprised by the sight of disk-shaped aircrafts like the one visible in the top right corner. By painting this minor detail against the clear sky, the Artist seems to hint at the idea of a bright and serene future professed by her predecessors, thinkers and scholars of the Russian cosmism movement, who envisioned the advancement of space technologies. The picture tangibly differs in mood from At Home; this difference is further reinforced by the fact that the protagonist is holding on to a handle of a suitcase painted in Ms. Fedorova’s favourite colours. This ostensibly minor detail immediately captures the viewer’s attention: standing in stark contrast to the blue and grey shades of the rest of the canvas, it clearly becomes its focal point. The travel accessory acts as the epitome of something important that each of us carries through life, be it experience, knowledge, impressions, pain, grievances, disappointments, dreams or hopes.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert

Arabian Nights

The Artist embarked on creating a series of paintings that would later make up a separate thematic cluster within the COSMODREAMS project titled Arabian Nights after her trip to the Arabic countries.

Enchanted by the oriental culture, Ms. Marina Fedorova, as any true artist, resorts to the medium of painting to share her impressions. Hence she has integrated the previously experienced landscapes into the COSMODREAMS universe, merging her imaginary world with real cultural heritage sites of the Middle East. On this particular instance, the Artist used the theme of space conquest as a kind of bridge linking various civilisations – a domain of human endeavours providing limitless opportunities for scientific progress and other human achievements irrespective of cultural codes, faith or nationality. This philosophy is consistent with the doctrines voiced by the extraordinary Russian and Soviet self-taught scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857–1935) who believed that space exploration is bound to unite mankind into a single nation that would inhabit the endless expanse of the Universe while constantly growing in numbers.

One of the pictures in this cluster was inspired by the annual Traditional Dhow Boat Festival in Qatar. For centuries, wooden dhow boats have been navigating the Arabian Sea as the principal mode of transportation, bringing fresh water, fruit, and other commodities to local inhabitants. The painting illustrates the Artist’s fantasy about the preservation of the national and cultural heritage and the possible transformations of local cultural artefacts in the age of rapidly developing space technologies. The artwork bears a distinct imprint of Ms. Fedorova’s signature painting style, frequently seen in her urban landscapes. It gives us a chance to infer which city left a mark in the Artist’s heart and memory, and which people and events she now associates it with.

Characteristically, such paintings as There (2014) from the Reflections project (similar in terms of composition and even colour scheme), as well as NY (2014, Reflections), Night in the City (2015, Reflections), and other cityscapes rendered by the Artist clearly demonstrate Ms. Fedorova’s tendency to admire the beauty of human creations with a childlike candidness.

The Martian Night painting is a reference to the tales of One Thousand and One Nights with their enchanting plot twists, colourful characters, and magic. The Artist changes the setting of one of these spellbinding stories which now takes place in the extraterrestrial realms, on the red planet of Mars. The ancient folk tale acquires new shape: we see a future Aladdin who has nevertheless retained his cultural DNA and national identity with its characteristic mastery of magical objects and artefacts. As for the gymnast girl sculpture, this is one of the recurring images across the Artist’s oeuvre, allowing her to link together several distinct artworks within the COSMODREAMS project, including the Space Art Odyssey video and the 3D-printed sculpture. In addition, an AR scenario created for the picture effortlessly blends the classical painting elements of oil, canvas, and academic composition with advanced digital art medium.

The painting features various shades of reddish orange and blue – quite an unusual colour combination for the Artist. Orange is a multifaceted colour with rich symbolic meanings in different cultures. It is very much present in Asian religions, implying spiritual perfection and the ultimate state of enlightenment.

The Artist seems to allude to the wisdom and knowledge passed down with epic tales and legends which are never affected by time. In the modern world, traditional folk tales are as relevant as before and can easily adjust to current trends and circumstances.

White Mosque was inspired by one of the world’s largest mosques. The grand, impeccably white structure looks pure and weightless, as if floating above the ground. Ms. Marina Fedorova visualizes this priceless piece of architectural heritage intact after many centuries and perhaps even millennia, looking into the future with a firm belief that important cultural objects will retain their authenticity despite globalisation and the trailblazing discoveries in space.

Yet another artwork featuring a colour palette uncharacteristic of the Artist is called Al-‘Ula. Its title refers to the architectural landmark designated as the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This until recently closed country is a true natural and cultural gem. The painting may be seen as Ms. Marina Fedorova’s evocative tribute to one of the majestic Nabatean tombs of Al-‘Ula. The inclusion of a spaceship into the picture connects it to the project’s recurring theme of space exploration. For this painting, too, the Artist came up with an alternative story realised as an AR scenario activated through the COSMODREAMS AR app. Digital art is employed here as an auxiliary tool allowing one to step beyond the confines of a two-dimensional canvas and imagine what could happen in this beautiful unspoilt oasis.

The subject and composition of the final work in this cluster is somewhat reminiscent of an older painting dating from 2011, At Home. In 222 Dubai, created in 2023, Ms. Fedorova also depicts a female figure standing with her back turned to the viewer and visually resembling the Artist herself. The female protagonist is staring out of a large panoramic window as the entire history of a country unfolds outside, witnessing the most sophisticated technologies being boldly introduced while the national identity is carefully preserved. Perhaps in the near future no one would be surprised by the sight of disk-shaped aircrafts like the one visible in the top right corner. By painting this minor detail against the clear sky, the Artist seems to hint at the idea of a bright and serene future professed by her predecessors, thinkers and scholars of the Russian cosmism movement, who envisioned the advancement of space technologies. The picture tangibly differs in mood from At Home; this difference is further reinforced by the fact that the protagonist is holding on to a handle of a suitcase painted in Ms. Fedorova’s favourite colours. This ostensibly minor detail immediately captures the viewer’s attention: standing in stark contrast to the blue and grey shades of the rest of the canvas, it clearly becomes its focal point. The travel accessory acts as the epitome of something important that each of us carries through life, be it experience, knowledge, impressions, pain, grievances, disappointments, dreams or hopes.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert

Arabian Nights

The Artist embarked on creating a series of paintings that would later make up a separate thematic cluster within the COSMODREAMS project titled Arabian Nights after her trip to the Arabic countries.

Enchanted by the oriental culture, Ms. Marina Fedorova, as any true artist, resorts to the medium of painting to share her impressions. Hence she has integrated the previously experienced landscapes into the COSMODREAMS universe, merging her imaginary world with real cultural heritage sites of the Middle East. On this particular instance, the Artist used the theme of space conquest as a kind of bridge linking various civilisations – a domain of human endeavours providing limitless opportunities for scientific progress and other human achievements irrespective of cultural codes, faith or nationality. This philosophy is consistent with the doctrines voiced by the extraordinary Russian and Soviet self-taught scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857–1935) who believed that space exploration is bound to unite mankind into a single nation that would inhabit the endless expanse of the Universe while constantly growing in numbers.

One of the pictures in this cluster was inspired by the annual Traditional Dhow Boat Festival in Qatar. For centuries, wooden dhow boats have been navigating the Arabian Sea as the principal mode of transportation, bringing fresh water, fruit, and other commodities to local inhabitants. The painting illustrates the Artist’s fantasy about the preservation of the national and cultural heritage and the possible transformations of local cultural artefacts in the age of rapidly developing space technologies. The artwork bears a distinct imprint of Ms. Fedorova’s signature painting style, frequently seen in her urban landscapes. It gives us a chance to infer which city left a mark in the Artist’s heart and memory, and which people and events she now associates it with.

Characteristically, such paintings as There (2014) from the Reflections project (similar in terms of composition and even colour scheme), as well as NY (2014, Reflections), Night in the City (2015, Reflections), and other cityscapes rendered by the Artist clearly demonstrate Ms. Fedorova’s tendency to admire the beauty of human creations with a childlike candidness.

The Martian Night painting is a reference to the tales of One Thousand and One Nights with their enchanting plot twists, colourful characters, and magic. The Artist changes the setting of one of these spellbinding stories which now takes place in the extraterrestrial realms, on the red planet of Mars. The ancient folk tale acquires new shape: we see a future Aladdin who has nevertheless retained his cultural DNA and national identity with its characteristic mastery of magical objects and artefacts. As for the gymnast girl sculpture, this is one of the recurring images across the Artist’s oeuvre, allowing her to link together several distinct artworks within the COSMODREAMS project, including the Space Art Odyssey video and the 3D-printed sculpture. In addition, an AR scenario created for the picture effortlessly blends the classical painting elements of oil, canvas, and academic composition with advanced digital art medium.

The painting features various shades of reddish orange and blue – quite an unusual colour combination for the Artist. Orange is a multifaceted colour with rich symbolic meanings in different cultures. It is very much present in Asian religions, implying spiritual perfection and the ultimate state of enlightenment.

The Artist seems to allude to the wisdom and knowledge passed down with epic tales and legends which are never affected by time. In the modern world, traditional folk tales are as relevant as before and can easily adjust to current trends and circumstances.

White Mosque was inspired by one of the world’s largest mosques. The grand, impeccably white structure looks pure and weightless, as if floating above the ground. Ms. Marina Fedorova visualizes this priceless piece of architectural heritage intact after many centuries and perhaps even millennia, looking into the future with a firm belief that important cultural objects will retain their authenticity despite globalisation and the trailblazing discoveries in space.

Yet another artwork featuring a colour palette uncharacteristic of the Artist is called Al-‘Ula. Its title refers to the architectural landmark designated as the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This until recently closed country is a true natural and cultural gem. The painting may be seen as Ms. Marina Fedorova’s evocative tribute to one of the majestic Nabatean tombs of Al-‘Ula. The inclusion of a spaceship into the picture connects it to the project’s recurring theme of space exploration. For this painting, too, the Artist came up with an alternative story realised as an AR scenario activated through the COSMODREAMS AR app. Digital art is employed here as an auxiliary tool allowing one to step beyond the confines of a two-dimensional canvas and imagine what could happen in this beautiful unspoilt oasis.

The subject and composition of the final work in this cluster is somewhat reminiscent of an older painting dating from 2011, At Home. In 222 Dubai, created in 2023, Ms. Fedorova also depicts a female figure standing with her back turned to the viewer and visually resembling the Artist herself. The female protagonist is staring out of a large panoramic window as the entire history of a country unfolds outside, witnessing the most sophisticated technologies being boldly introduced while the national identity is carefully preserved. Perhaps in the near future no one would be surprised by the sight of disk-shaped aircrafts like the one visible in the top right corner. By painting this minor detail against the clear sky, the Artist seems to hint at the idea of a bright and serene future professed by her predecessors, thinkers and scholars of the Russian cosmism movement, who envisioned the advancement of space technologies. The picture tangibly differs in mood from At Home; this difference is further reinforced by the fact that the protagonist is holding on to a handle of a suitcase painted in Ms. Fedorova’s favourite colours. This ostensibly minor detail immediately captures the viewer’s attention: standing in stark contrast to the blue and grey shades of the rest of the canvas, it clearly becomes its focal point. The travel accessory acts as the epitome of something important that each of us carries through life, be it experience, knowledge, impressions, pain, grievances, disappointments, dreams or hopes.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert

Arabian Nights

The Artist embarked on creating a series of paintings that would later make up a separate thematic cluster within the COSMODREAMS project titled Arabian Nights after her trip to the Arabic countries.

Enchanted by the oriental culture, Ms. Marina Fedorova, as any true artist, resorts to the medium of painting to share her impressions. Hence she has integrated the previously experienced landscapes into the COSMODREAMS universe, merging her imaginary world with real cultural heritage sites of the Middle East. On this particular instance, the Artist used the theme of space conquest as a kind of bridge linking various civilisations – a domain of human endeavours providing limitless opportunities for scientific progress and other human achievements irrespective of cultural codes, faith or nationality. This philosophy is consistent with the doctrines voiced by the extraordinary Russian and Soviet self-taught scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857–1935) who believed that space exploration is bound to unite mankind into a single nation that would inhabit the endless expanse of the Universe while constantly growing in numbers.

One of the pictures in this cluster was inspired by the annual Traditional Dhow Boat Festival in Qatar. For centuries, wooden dhow boats have been navigating the Arabian Sea as the principal mode of transportation, bringing fresh water, fruit, and other commodities to local inhabitants. The painting illustrates the Artist’s fantasy about the preservation of the national and cultural heritage and the possible transformations of local cultural artefacts in the age of rapidly developing space technologies. The artwork bears a distinct imprint of Ms. Fedorova’s signature painting style, frequently seen in her urban landscapes. It gives us a chance to infer which city left a mark in the Artist’s heart and memory, and which people and events she now associates it with.

Characteristically, such paintings as There (2014) from the Reflections project (similar in terms of composition and even colour scheme), as well as NY (2014, Reflections), Night in the City (2015, Reflections), and other cityscapes rendered by the Artist clearly demonstrate Ms. Fedorova’s tendency to admire the beauty of human creations with a childlike candidness.

The Martian Night painting is a reference to the tales of One Thousand and One Nights with their enchanting plot twists, colourful characters, and magic. The Artist changes the setting of one of these spellbinding stories which now takes place in the extraterrestrial realms, on the red planet of Mars. The ancient folk tale acquires new shape: we see a future Aladdin who has nevertheless retained his cultural DNA and national identity with its characteristic mastery of magical objects and artefacts. As for the gymnast girl sculpture, this is one of the recurring images across the Artist’s oeuvre, allowing her to link together several distinct artworks within the COSMODREAMS project, including the Space Art Odyssey video and the 3D-printed sculpture. In addition, an AR scenario created for the picture effortlessly blends the classical painting elements of oil, canvas, and academic composition with advanced digital art medium.

The painting features various shades of reddish orange and blue – quite an unusual colour combination for the Artist. Orange is a multifaceted colour with rich symbolic meanings in different cultures. It is very much present in Asian religions, implying spiritual perfection and the ultimate state of enlightenment.

The Artist seems to allude to the wisdom and knowledge passed down with epic tales and legends which are never affected by time. In the modern world, traditional folk tales are as relevant as before and can easily adjust to current trends and circumstances.

White Mosque was inspired by one of the world’s largest mosques. The grand, impeccably white structure looks pure and weightless, as if floating above the ground. Ms. Marina Fedorova visualizes this priceless piece of architectural heritage intact after many centuries and perhaps even millennia, looking into the future with a firm belief that important cultural objects will retain their authenticity despite globalisation and the trailblazing discoveries in space.

Yet another artwork featuring a colour palette uncharacteristic of the Artist is called Al-‘Ula. Its title refers to the architectural landmark designated as the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This until recently closed country is a true natural and cultural gem. The painting may be seen as Ms. Marina Fedorova’s evocative tribute to one of the majestic Nabatean tombs of Al-‘Ula. The inclusion of a spaceship into the picture connects it to the project’s recurring theme of space exploration. For this painting, too, the Artist came up with an alternative story realised as an AR scenario activated through the COSMODREAMS AR app. Digital art is employed here as an auxiliary tool allowing one to step beyond the confines of a two-dimensional canvas and imagine what could happen in this beautiful unspoilt oasis.

The subject and composition of the final work in this cluster is somewhat reminiscent of an older painting dating from 2011, At Home. In 222 Dubai, created in 2023, Ms. Fedorova also depicts a female figure standing with her back turned to the viewer and visually resembling the Artist herself. The female protagonist is staring out of a large panoramic window as the entire history of a country unfolds outside, witnessing the most sophisticated technologies being boldly introduced while the national identity is carefully preserved. Perhaps in the near future no one would be surprised by the sight of disk-shaped aircrafts like the one visible in the top right corner. By painting this minor detail against the clear sky, the Artist seems to hint at the idea of a bright and serene future professed by her predecessors, thinkers and scholars of the Russian cosmism movement, who envisioned the advancement of space technologies. The picture tangibly differs in mood from At Home; this difference is further reinforced by the fact that the protagonist is holding on to a handle of a suitcase painted in Ms. Fedorova’s favourite colours. This ostensibly minor detail immediately captures the viewer’s attention: standing in stark contrast to the blue and grey shades of the rest of the canvas, it clearly becomes its focal point. The travel accessory acts as the epitome of something important that each of us carries through life, be it experience, knowledge, impressions, pain, grievances, disappointments, dreams or hopes.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert