Strelka was one of the iconic Soviet space dogs whose safe return helped validate human space exploration. Celebrated as “lucky” and “brave,” Strelka became a folkloric symbol of loyalty and courage amidst Cold War tensions. This painting captures her heroic presence, inviting viewers to reflect on the blend of scientific achievement, myth-making and the emotional weight carried by these pioneering animals.

Messenger follows Pushinka’s unusual path: her mother began life as a stray on the streets of Moscow, was later sent into space, and then placed into a controlled breeding programme that produced Pushinka. Gifted to US President John F. Kennedy as a diplomatic trophy during the Cold War, Pushinka became part of the Kennedy household - dressed in tutus by a young Caroline Kennedy. The painting reflects on this unlikely journey, considering how animals are carried through human histories and reshaped by the stories we attach to them.

This ones definitely seen some things ….

Post-Orbit depicts Ugolyok (Snowball in English due to the fact she was found on the streets in the snow) being examined by doctors after a harrowing catapulted landing, caught between confusion and recovery. The painting’s borders serve as symbolic storytelling devices, echoing folk art traditions that communicate narratives beyond words. The painted borders draw on folk‑art traditions, adding a quiet narrative frame that connects her documented history with the softer, more symbolic ways her story has been remembered.

A close-up of nursing puppies fills the frame, their mother only partly visible. The scene sits between tenderness and distance, reflecting on care, instinct, and the quiet shifts in agency that come with domestication.

A cluster of puppies merges into a soft, indistinct mass. The blurred forms suggest comfort, overwhelm, and the way individuality dissolves within closeness and dependence.

single dog-like figure appears suspended and softened by layered brushwork. The painting holds a quiet tension between presence and absence, touching on vulnerability and blurred boundaries in human–animal relationships.

A snarling dog confronts another, capturing a brief, uneasy moment. The painting reflects on the tensions within domestication and the ways human influence shapes animal behaviour and freedom.

Puppies appear in a still, close-up view, their forms smooth and statue-like. The work leans into ambiguity and softness, suggesting a moment held outside of time.