Flown original painting of Japanese journalist-cosmonaut Toyohiro Akiyama, accomplished in oil on 11.75 x 8.25 canvas by Slovak artist Jan Fekete, carried aboard Soyuz TMA-14 to the International Space Station, where it flew in space from March 23-October 11, 2009, as part of a '50 Years of Spaceflight' exhibition. Stamped with the on-board Russian ISS postmark and blue circular RKK Energia stamp. Signed and dated in the lower right corner in paint by the artist, "Fekete 07." In fine condition. Accompanied by a photograph of the painting on board the International Space Station, a certificate signed by the artist, and a USB drive digitally documenting this exhibition and Fekete's body of work.
Fekete describes the genesis of his historic space exhibition: "Art and culture are the most important aspects of human nature. Artists and cultural active persons are sharing creative ideas and are spreading new and innovative ways to influence our society. In our modern times technology doesn’t acknowledge boundaries of our planet earth and space. The dream of each artist would be to spread his art without boundaries but an exhibition in space would be challenging for everyone.
In the year 2008 my friend Walter Hopferwieser visited me in my studio in Vienna. After a long conversation about art, we decided to organize an exhibition on the International Space Station (ISS) for the Russian and American cosmonauts. This exhibition should bring art into the modules of the space station. Together we determined the motives for this exhibition. I thought about the appropriate technique and size. Within a short time I created twelve oil paintings on canvas in A4 format. They include pictures of the ISS station, a portrait of Gagarin, the French astronaut Claudie Haignere, the Russian cosmonaut Tereshkova, Anousheh Ansari, the famous dog Laika, Sputnik and the American astronaut Neil Armstrong."
