In September 2015, Vhils' portrait of Danish ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen — made for Miguel Gonçalves Mendes' documentary The Meaning of Life — became the first artwork installed in space, and the first permanent work by a contemporary visual artist aboard the International Space Station. Printed on micro-perforated PVC film and fitted into the Cupola observatory, the work lets the Earth itself complete the image, as light, colour and movement pass through the portrait at 28,800 km/h during each orbit. The project extends Vhils' investigation of site and surface beyond the city, into the most distant inhabited structure built by humanity.
Year2015PlaceInternational Space Station, Low Earth Orbit, InternationalMediumOther MediaMaterialsmicro-perforated PVC film