The Patriotism 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 we live 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 bringing to mind the names of the heroic female cosmonauts: Valentina Tereshkova, Svetlana Savitskaya, and Elena Serova.

 

The Patriotism 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 the new Russia. 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.