Life in Space

Life in Spacelogically builds on the Artist’s observations of our life on Earth. She challenges us to imagine what life in the outer space would be like: how would we cope with the lack of sunlight and proper night and day patterns, what would it feel like to find ourselves deep within the vast and endless, but at the same time cold and empty cosmic expanse? Ms. Marina Fedorova ventures to suggest that people would be constantly accompanied by a sense of powerful nostalgia for their home planet, triggered even by the very thought of a potential chance to leave the Earth behind forever. Looking into the future, the Artist encourages us to hypothesise on how our life could evolve in the upcoming decades.

The Earth’s remoteness is expressed in these artworks by means of perspective: the heroines wistfully look at the tiny globe with cosmic nebulae swirling behind their backs. Here, on this new planet, both landscapes and architectural structures resemble the terrestrial ones, evoking a poignant sense of nostalgia.

One of the artworks in this series, Museum, later inspired the Space Art Odyssey virtual journey allowing the viewers to visit an imaginary art gallery in space. The painting shows an art space with panoramic windows located somewhere on the Moon surface: a character sporting bright red pumps obviously intends to visit the museum. The high but stable heels of these beautiful shoes rendered in broad brushstrokes, and the lithe legs whose owner is hidden from sight suggest a forward movement, reflecting the firmness and steadiness of intention.

The window motif appears again in At a Restaurant: here a glass separates the female protagonist from the endless cosmic space. The graceful girl in a red dress is apparently undaunted by the hugeness of the Universe. She has her back turned to us: we see neither her eyes nor any overt emotions, only a vague facial expression. She is holding a classic science fiction novel of the 20th century, Stanisław Lem’s Solaris. The heroine who remains a mystery to us is intently staring at some distant point, perhaps trying to distinguish the outlines of the erstwhile home planet and recall what life on Earth was like.

A painting conveying an extraterrestrial atmosphere through a contemporary, even slightly futuristic and concise interior pictured in it is Welcome to Café Earth. The picture shows a café somewhere far beyond the solar system which is freely accessible to any dwellers of other galaxies who wish to come and enjoy the singing of such immortal divas from planet Earth as Marilyn Monroe and Greta Garbo.

Another artwork with a slight tinge of nostalgia is called Suitcase. The lonely girl in a red cocktail dress wheeling a scarlet suitcase seems to be expecting something, perhaps ready to return to the planet of her ancestors. We see planet Earth looming in the horizon, its blue sphere looking friendly and welcoming. But is it really so? Is it actually possible to go back to Earth and inhabit it? It is rather more likely that the lonely figure is destined to be forever searching the outer space for the place where she belongs, the return to Earth remaining her impossible lifelong dream. This painting elaborates the concept of another work touched by the Artist’s trademark irony. Long before the present ‘Cosmic period’ and the creation of an entire series of artworks dedicated to space exploration, Ms. Marina Fedorova painted Lady Proton, a picture featuring a young girl being late for the launch of a rocket just like any one of us might be late for a plane or train. The spaceship takes off without her, leaving her to aimlessly wonder the Moon in hopes for a lucky hitchhike ride through the Universe.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert

Life in Space

Life in Space logically builds on the Artist’s observations of our life on Earth. She challenges us to imagine what life in the outer space would be like: how would we cope with the lack of sunlight and proper night and day patterns, what would it feel like to find ourselves deep within the vast and endless, but at the same time cold and empty cosmic expanse? Ms. Marina Fedorova ventures to suggest that people would be constantly accompanied by a sense of powerful nostalgia for their home planet, triggered even by the very thought of a potential chance to leave the Earth behind forever. Looking into the future, the Artist encourages us to hypothesise on how our life could evolve in the upcoming decades.

The Earth’s remoteness is expressed in these artworks by means of perspective: the heroines wistfully look at the tiny globe with cosmic nebulae swirling behind their backs. Here, on this new planet, both landscapes and architectural structures resemble the terrestrial ones, evoking a poignant sense of nostalgia.

One of the artworks in this series, Museum, later inspired the Space Art Odyssey virtual journey allowing the viewers to visit an imaginary art gallery in space. The painting shows an art space with panoramic windows located somewhere on the Moon surface: a character sporting bright red pumps obviously intends to visit the museum. The high but stable heels of these beautiful shoes rendered in broad brushstrokes, and the lithe legs whose owner is hidden from sight suggest a forward movement, reflecting the firmness and steadiness of intention.

The window motif appears again in At a Restaurant: here a glass separates the female protagonist from the endless cosmic space. The graceful girl in a red dress is apparently undaunted by the hugeness of the Universe. She has her back turned to us: we see neither her eyes nor any overt emotions, only a vague facial expression. She is holding a classic science fiction novel of the 20th century, Stanisław Lem’s Solaris. The heroine who remains a mystery to us is intently staring at some distant point, perhaps trying to distinguish the outlines of the erstwhile home planet and recall what life on Earth was like.

A painting conveying an extraterrestrial atmosphere through a contemporary, even slightly futuristic and concise interior pictured in it is Welcome to Café Earth. The picture shows a café somewhere far beyond the solar system which is freely accessible to any dwellers of other galaxies who wish to come and enjoy the singing of such immortal divas from planet Earth as Marilyn Monroe and Greta Garbo.

Another artwork with a slight tinge of nostalgia is called Suitcase. The lonely girl in a red cocktail dress wheeling a scarlet suitcase seems to be expecting something, perhaps ready to return to the planet of her ancestors. We see planet Earth looming in the horizon, its blue sphere looking friendly and welcoming. But is it really so? Is it actually possible to go back to Earth and inhabit it? It is rather more likely that the lonely figure is destined to be forever searching the outer space for the place where she belongs, the return to Earth remaining her impossible lifelong dream. This painting elaborates the concept of another work touched by the Artist’s trademark irony. Long before the present ‘Cosmic period’ and the creation of an entire series of artworks dedicated to space exploration, Ms. Marina Fedorova painted Lady Proton, a picture featuring a young girl being late for the launch of a rocket just like any one of us might be late for a plane or train. The spaceship takes off without her, leaving her to aimlessly wonder the Moon in hopes for a lucky hitchhike ride through the Universe.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert

Red Roots

The swan signifies a musician as well as music itself. Because of its colour, it is a sign that secrets will be revealed. If sick men dream of a swan, it indicates recovery. If it sings, however, it means death. For the swan does not utter a sound until the hour of its death.

Artemidorus Daldianus. The Interpretation of Dreams. II, 20

One of the most emotional series of paintings created by Ms. Marina Fedorova bears the title Swan Song, or, My Red Roots.

The series is not so much a reaction to any ongoing events, but rather a product of an intense inner fervour: with her paintings and allegoric imagery Marina conveys her emotions, attitude, and pain.

This red and white series is built around the Artist’s favourite palette with rather sharp contrasts. Its colours, however, are far removed from the bright scarlet of the Parallel series or the distinctive white of the Kresty paintings. These pictures feature a different shade of red verging on burgundy – thick as blood dripping from a vein. White hues grow saturated and border on grey, as if to reflect the denseness of air which is no longer crisp or thin as in the mountains. The snow in Winter Lake symbolises the events of the present day, the media space which has permeated everything and allows no easy escape, causing an acute sense of helplessness and loss of self amid the inhuman ‘scarlet-red’ environment.

The Birch Tree Alley watercolour whose protagonist is attempting to shake off her heavy coat like a bondage that prevents her from escaping the chilling snow domain is in fact a study for a nascent series of paintings conceived as a response to the grim reality. The girl wants to shake off the garment that kept her warm in the winter cold, ready to discard the cosiness of fir that proves to be useless when it comes to survival.

Later on, Marina would paint a series of large-scale canvases whose recurring character is a dark-haired girl with clearly Slavic features. We see her in one picture after another, as if her creator were telling the story of one and the same person.

Black Water, By the Lake, Winter Lake, and Swan Song all seem to comprise the Artist’s allegoric statement. Over the time span captured by these four paintings, the girl fails to escape her snowbound surroundings. Obstacles keep appearing along her way, be it the deep snow that sucks her in or the dark waters that block her progress. The black and uninviting river, gloomy and dangerous, is associated with the otherworld, a passage into another reality, a harbinger of misfortunes, cruel reality and death that the main character is facing. In this sense, the Swan Song painting is central to the series. Here, the Artist predicts the fate of her protagonist who eventually transforms into a beautiful swan. This artwork allows a glimpse into the hidden truth and the inner world of the female character who is given huge white blood-spattered swan wings that symbolise life, rebirth, purity, and chastity, all united in one final song before the tragic end.

One of the most upsetting pictures, Red Field, shows a ploughed field overflowing with blood, as if it were the setting for some pagan ritual involving human sacrifices. A soil fertilised with human blood is the price of the future harvest.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert

Red Roots

The swan signifies a musician as well as music itself. Because of its colour, it is a sign that secrets will be revealed. If sick men dream of a swan, it indicates recovery. If it sings, however, it means death. For the swan does not utter a sound until the hour of its death.

Artemidorus Daldianus. The Interpretation of Dreams. II, 20

One of the most emotional series of paintings created by Ms. Marina Fedorova bears the title Swan Song, or, My Red Roots.

The series is not so much a reaction to any ongoing events, but rather a product of an intense inner fervour: with her paintings and allegoric imagery Marina conveys her emotions, attitude, and pain.

This red and white series is built around the Artist’s favourite palette with rather sharp contrasts. Its colours, however, are far removed from the bright scarlet of the Parallel series or the distinctive white of the Kresty paintings. These pictures feature a different shade of red verging on burgundy – thick as blood dripping from a vein. White hues grow saturated and border on grey, as if to reflect the denseness of air which is no longer crisp or thin as in the mountains. The snow in Winter Lake symbolises the events of the present day, the media space which has permeated everything and allows no easy escape, causing an acute sense of helplessness and loss of self amid the inhuman ‘scarlet-red’ environment.

The Birch Tree Alley watercolour whose protagonist is attempting to shake off her heavy coat like a bondage that prevents her from escaping the chilling snow domain is in fact a study for a nascent series of paintings conceived as a response to the grim reality. The girl wants to shake off the garment that kept her warm in the winter cold, ready to discard the cosiness of fir that proves to be useless when it comes to survival.

Later on, Marina would paint a series of large-scale canvases whose recurring character is a dark-haired girl with clearly Slavic features. We see her in one picture after another, as if her creator were telling the story of one and the same person.

Black Water, By the Lake, Winter Lake, and Swan Song all seem to comprise the Artist’s allegoric statement. Over the time span captured by these four paintings, the girl fails to escape her snowbound surroundings. Obstacles keep appearing along her way, be it the deep snow that sucks her in or the dark waters that block her progress. The black and uninviting river, gloomy and dangerous, is associated with the otherworld, a passage into another reality, a harbinger of misfortunes, cruel reality and death that the main character is facing. In this sense, the Swan Song painting is central to the series. Here, the Artist predicts the fate of her protagonist who eventually transforms into a beautiful swan. This artwork allows a glimpse into the hidden truth and the inner world of the female character who is given huge white blood-spattered swan wings that symbolise life, rebirth, purity, and chastity, all united in one final song before the tragic end.

One of the most upsetting pictures, Red Field, shows a ploughed field overflowing with blood, as if it were the setting for some pagan ritual involving human sacrifices. A soil fertilised with human blood is the price of the future harvest.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert

Red Roots

The swan signifies a musician as well as music itself. Because of its colour, it is a sign that secrets will be revealed. If sick men dream of a swan, it indicates recovery. If it sings, however, it means death. For the swan does not utter a sound until the hour of its death.

Artemidorus Daldianus. The Interpretation of Dreams. II, 20

One of the most emotional series of paintings created by Ms. Marina Fedorova bears the title Swan Song, or, My Red Roots.

The series is not so much a reaction to any ongoing events, but rather a product of an intense inner fervour: with her paintings and allegoric imagery Marina conveys her emotions, attitude, and pain.

This red and white series is built around the Artist’s favourite palette with rather sharp contrasts. Its colours, however, are far removed from the bright scarlet of the Parallel series or the distinctive white of the Kresty paintings. These pictures feature a different shade of red verging on burgundy – thick as blood dripping from a vein. White hues grow saturated and border on grey, as if to reflect the denseness of air which is no longer crisp or thin as in the mountains. The snow in Winter Lake symbolises the events of the present day, the media space which has permeated everything and allows no easy escape, causing an acute sense of helplessness and loss of self amid the inhuman ‘scarlet-red’ environment.

The Birch Tree Alley watercolour whose protagonist is attempting to shake off her heavy coat like a bondage that prevents her from escaping the chilling snow domain is in fact a study for a nascent series of paintings conceived as a response to the grim reality. The girl wants to shake off the garment that kept her warm in the winter cold, ready to discard the cosiness of fir that proves to be useless when it comes to survival.

Later on, Marina would paint a series of large-scale canvases whose recurring character is a dark-haired girl with clearly Slavic features. We see her in one picture after another, as if her creator were telling the story of one and the same person.

Black Water, By the Lake, Winter Lake, and Swan Song all seem to comprise the Artist’s allegoric statement. Over the time span captured by these four paintings, the girl fails to escape her snowbound surroundings. Obstacles keep appearing along her way, be it the deep snow that sucks her in or the dark waters that block her progress. The black and uninviting river, gloomy and dangerous, is associated with the otherworld, a passage into another reality, a harbinger of misfortunes, cruel reality and death that the main character is facing. In this sense, the Swan Song painting is central to the series. Here, the Artist predicts the fate of her protagonist who eventually transforms into a beautiful swan. This artwork allows a glimpse into the hidden truth and the inner world of the female character who is given huge white blood-spattered swan wings that symbolise life, rebirth, purity, and chastity, all united in one final song before the tragic end.

One of the most upsetting pictures, Red Field, shows a ploughed field overflowing with blood, as if it were the setting for some pagan ritual involving human sacrifices. A soil fertilised with human blood is the price of the future harvest.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert

Red Roots

The swan signifies a musician as well as music itself. Because of its colour, it is a sign that secrets will be revealed. If sick men dream of a swan, it indicates recovery. If it sings, however, it means death. For the swan does not utter a sound until the hour of its death.

Artemidorus Daldianus. The Interpretation of Dreams. II, 20

One of the most emotional series of paintings created by Ms. Marina Fedorova bears the title Swan Song, or, My Red Roots.

The series is not so much a reaction to any ongoing events, but rather a product of an intense inner fervour: with her paintings and allegoric imagery Marina conveys her emotions, attitude, and pain.

This red and white series is built around the Artist’s favourite palette with rather sharp contrasts. Its colours, however, are far removed from the bright scarlet of the Parallel series or the distinctive white of the Kresty paintings. These pictures feature a different shade of red verging on burgundy – thick as blood dripping from a vein. White hues grow saturated and border on grey, as if to reflect the denseness of air which is no longer crisp or thin as in the mountains. The snow in Winter Lake symbolises the events of the present day, the media space which has permeated everything and allows no easy escape, causing an acute sense of helplessness and loss of self amid the inhuman ‘scarlet-red’ environment.

The Birch Tree Alley watercolour whose protagonist is attempting to shake off her heavy coat like a bondage that prevents her from escaping the chilling snow domain is in fact a study for a nascent series of paintings conceived as a response to the grim reality. The girl wants to shake off the garment that kept her warm in the winter cold, ready to discard the cosiness of fir that proves to be useless when it comes to survival.

Later on, Marina would paint a series of large-scale canvases whose recurring character is a dark-haired girl with clearly Slavic features. We see her in one picture after another, as if her creator were telling the story of one and the same person.

Black Water, By the Lake, Winter Lake, and Swan Song all seem to comprise the Artist’s allegoric statement. Over the time span captured by these four paintings, the girl fails to escape her snowbound surroundings. Obstacles keep appearing along her way, be it the deep snow that sucks her in or the dark waters that block her progress. The black and uninviting river, gloomy and dangerous, is associated with the otherworld, a passage into another reality, a harbinger of misfortunes, cruel reality and death that the main character is facing. In this sense, the Swan Song painting is central to the series. Here, the Artist predicts the fate of her protagonist who eventually transforms into a beautiful swan. This artwork allows a glimpse into the hidden truth and the inner world of the female character who is given huge white blood-spattered swan wings that symbolise life, rebirth, purity, and chastity, all united in one final song before the tragic end.

One of the most upsetting pictures, Red Field, shows a ploughed field overflowing with blood, as if it were the setting for some pagan ritual involving human sacrifices. A soil fertilised with human blood is the price of the future harvest.

Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert

Red Roots

The swan signifies a musician as well as music itself. Because of its colour, it is a sign that secrets will be revealed. If sick men dream of a swan, it indicates recovery. If it sings, however, it means death. For the swan does not utter a sound until the hour of its death.

Artemidorus Daldianus. The Interpretation of Dreams. II, 20

One of the most emotional series of paintings created by Ms. Marina Fedorova bears the title Swan Song, or, My Red Roots.

The series is not so much a reaction to any ongoing events, but rather a product of an intense inner fervour: with her paintings and allegoric imagery Marina conveys her emotions, attitude, and pain.

This red and white series is built around the Artist’s favourite palette with rather sharp contrasts. Its colours, however, are far removed from the bright scarlet of the Parallel series or the distinctive white of the Kresty paintings. These pictures feature a different shade of red verging on burgundy – thick as blood dripping from a vein. White hues grow saturated and border on grey, as if to reflect the denseness of air which is no longer crisp or thin as in the mountains. The snow in Winter Lake symbolises the events of the present day, the media space which has permeated everything and allows no easy escape, causing an acute sense of helplessness and loss of self amid the inhuman ‘scarlet-red’ environment.

The Birch Tree Alley watercolour whose protagonist is attempting to shake off her heavy coat like a bondage that prevents her from escaping the chilling snow domain is in fact a study for a nascent series of paintings conceived as a response to the grim reality. The girl wants to shake off the garment that kept her warm in the winter cold, ready to discard the cosiness of fir that proves to be useless when it comes to survival.

Later on, Marina would paint a series of large-scale canvases whose recurring character is a dark-haired girl with clearly Slavic features. We see her in one picture after another, as if her creator were telling the story of one and the same person.

Black Water, By the Lake, Winter Lake, and Swan Song all seem to comprise the Artist’s allegoric statement. Over the time span captured by these four paintings, the girl fails to escape her snowbound surroundings. Obstacles keep appearing along her way, be it the deep snow that sucks her in or the dark waters that block her progress. The black and uninviting river, gloomy and dangerous, is associated with the otherworld, a passage into another reality, a harbinger of misfortunes, cruel reality and death that the main character is facing. In this sense, the Swan Song painting is central to the series. Here, the Artist predicts the fate of her protagonist who eventually transforms into a beautiful swan. This artwork allows a glimpse into the hidden truth and the inner world of the female character who is given huge white blood-spattered swan wings that symbolise life, rebirth, purity, and chastity, all united in one final song before the tragic end.

One of the most upsetting pictures, Red Field, shows a ploughed field overflowing with blood, as if it were the setting for some pagan ritual involving human sacrifices. A soil fertilised with human blood is the price of the future harvest.

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