Even after 80 years since the space race began, the extraterrestrial universe is still a
mystery for human beings. However, like in all their pilgrimages across
continents and seas, other members of the animal kingdom have followed their path and, at times,
led their advances. In ancient times, birds guided great civilizations on their journeys through
broad and uncharted seas. In the modern era, Laika, Ham, and Félicette were some of the
animals that propelled discoveries in breaking through the last barrier for the
expansion of humanity: the atmosphere.
The competition between the Soviet Union and the United States resulted in imaginative stories and
fantasies about the reach these expeditions would have. Posters, comics, television series, and
action figures continue to awaken the dreams and imagination of millions around the world,
who wonder if future generations will call some unknown planet
“home.”
I need space appears in the dreamlike tales of Ariosto Rivera as a tribute to the silent heroes
who pushed the boundary of space and shattered the anthropocentric conception
of the universe. Dogs, monkeys, cats, rabbits, and rats revealed to humans that the
cosmos is vast and inexhaustible. We are not alone, neither here, nor “out there.”
From the perspective of artists, animals are represented as great masters of
empathy and survival. As natural and adaptable explorers even in the most
adverse circumstances. Here, neither humans nor stellar scenarios take center stage. Like in children’s
fables, the viewer must imagine supernovae, galaxies, black holes, and planets based on the
representations of these creatures. In these new tales, their eyes and the color reflections on their
faces tell the fantastic odysseys of those who, on Earth, were pioneers in
intergalactic navigation.
Ariosto Rivera shares their vision of space as a utopia, in the sense of a
reconsideration of our nature and behavior. In science fiction narratives, the
new planets and forms of life push characters to renew themselves as a species, but also
incite the viewer to ask what they would do differently if they could start from scratch. Perhaps these
heroes will make us reflect on the historical relevance of our animal companions and the
relationship we have with them in this common “cradle.”
Even after 80 years since the space race began, the extraterrestrial universe is still a
mystery for human beings. However, like in all their pilgrimages across
continents and seas, other members of the animal kingdom have followed their path and, at times,
led their advances. In ancient times, birds guided great civilizations on their journeys through
broad and uncharted seas. In the modern era, Laika, Ham, and Félicette were some of the
animals that propelled discoveries in breaking through the last barrier for the
expansion of humanity: the atmosphere.
The competition between the Soviet Union and the United States resulted in imaginative stories and
fantasies about the reach these expeditions would have. Posters, comics, television series, and
action figures continue to awaken the dreams and imagination of millions around the world,
who wonder if future generations will call some unknown planet
“home.”
I need space appears in the dreamlike tales of Ariosto Rivera as a tribute to the silent heroes
who pushed the boundary of space and shattered the anthropocentric conception
of the universe. Dogs, monkeys, cats, rabbits, and rats revealed to humans that the
cosmos is vast and inexhaustible. We are not alone, neither here, nor “out there.”
From the perspective of artists, animals are represented as great masters of
empathy and survival. As natural and adaptable explorers even in the most
adverse circumstances. Here, neither humans nor stellar scenarios take center stage. Like in children’s
fables, the viewer must imagine supernovae, galaxies, black holes, and planets based on the
representations of these creatures. In these new tales, their eyes and the color reflections on their
faces tell the fantastic odysseys of those who, on Earth, were pioneers in
intergalactic navigation.
Ariosto Rivera shares their vision of space as a utopia, in the sense of a
reconsideration of our nature and behavior. In science fiction narratives, the
new planets and forms of life push characters to renew themselves as a species, but also
incite the viewer to ask what they would do differently if they could start from scratch. Perhaps these
heroes will make us reflect on the historical relevance of our animal companions and the
relationship we have with them in this common “cradle.”