Christopher Logemann
Go boy, go!
2023
screenprint and watercolour on paper
42 x 29.5 cm
edition of 3
$110
I am Sydney/Eora based painter and educator. My work is part of an ongoing series inspired by the dogs of the Soviet space program. During the 1950s-1960s, Russian space scientists collected stray dogs, testing, training, and eventually launching them into orbit. Early test dogs were tragically sacrificed, while others survived after re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. The images of these dogs became state propaganda symbols; their likenesses and names were used in postage stamps, toys, and comic books.
My work re-imagines this canine space program, depicting a world in which dogs become the primary astronauts in space exploration, mythologizing their contributions through imagery inspired by Russian constructivism and folk art. An imaginary AI-generated language is used in these artworks to create a parallel world where canines in space are an internationally recognized, ubiquitous image.