Birthplace
Where does self-identity, self-conception, an individual’s distinctive understanding of self ultimately come from? More often than not, they are conditioned not only by family history or social background, but also by the place where a person was born. This is understood not simply in a geographical sense, but rather as an aggregate of all meanings associated with it, including culture, traditions, and way of life. This is the starting point of a person’s love for his or her homeland – a subject that Ms. Marina Fedorova reflects upon in the age of cultural diversity.
A love for one’s homeland or birthplace is strongly connected to the concept of patriotism (from the Greek πατριώτης, ‘fellow countryman,’ and πατρίς, ‘land of the fathers’) – a conscious feeling of love for and attachment to someone’s homeland, nation, and traditions. This idea can be traced back to the original human societies where it emerged in the form of devotion to one’s family. The clues to the Artist’s series inspired by this concept lie in her deeply felt vision of patriotism as one’s inner spiritual legacy and sense of pride in the particular place where an individual was born, not necessarily linked to a certain national identity – especially in the times of space exploration and multiculturalism. In what ways are these ideas likely to transform in the times of space exploration and extraterrestrial colonisation programmes?
The Birthplace series created as part of the COSMODREAMS project is dedicated to space exploration addressed from a specific historical perspective, celebrating the romantic recollections of victories and glories of the former Soviet space programme. Soviet astronauts, known as cosmonauts, are considered worldwide to be the trailblazers of the outer space. Their courage and dedication have been the source of pride and admiration for multiple generations.
Ms. Marina Fedorova’s deep-rooted patriotism and love for the country she was born in transpires in the Artist’s paintings. Her main characters are often women, reminding us of the extraordinary human endeavours during the space quest and immediately recalling the names of the heroic female cosmonauts: Valentina Tereshkova, Svetlana Savitskaya, and Elena Serova.
The Birthplace painting series is perfectly augmented by the Flying Lady sculpture, which becomes one of the key pieces in this thematic cluster of artworks. The three-metre-high female figure symbolizes movement, determination, strength, and renewal for the country. The goddess dashes forward into the unknown, rising over the clouds and reaching for the sky. Her youthful appearance is no mere coincidence: she represents a new beginning. She is holding a shield — the symbol of protection and knowledge, courage and fortitude — while the light robes resembling classical tunics allude to the historical context in which the new state emerged.
The Artist stresses the modern world’s urgent need for renewal: time changes, and we must change along with it. The new generation needs a new symbolic representation of their motherland: whereas in the past it was crafted by the Soviet artists, now it is evoked by the contemporary ones.
In her investigation of serious issues, Ms. Marina Fedorova manages to retain her signature sense of humour, creating a number of artworks with a slight tinge of irony. The female protagonist of Space Laundry, just like the new Snow White waiting for the return of her space dwarfs, is seen washing spacesuits and hanging them out to dry. The Artist seems to hint at the fact that girls sometimes get tired of heroic exploits: taking off their ‘armour’, they let their minds roam free in the unknown lunar realms, feeling awed and puzzled each time they chance upon random artefacts of the Soviet era — monuments that could have been built on the Moon at the dawn of the space age.
Aleksandra Danilovskikh
Art Historian, Art Expert