IVAN IVANOVICH:
IN ORBIT AGAIN

Ivan Ivanovich (Иван Иванович, meaning “John Doe” in Russian) is a mannequin long relegated to obscurity. Before Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into outer space, Ivan had already secretly completed two spaceflights and returned to Earth as Gagarin’s phantom double—a “test subject” who helped lay the groundwork for human space exploration.

Ivan first entered space on March 9, 1961. His mission was to study biological samples and test the Earth-to-space voice transmission system. Inside his chest and abdomen were placed mice, guinea pigs, frogs, flies, microorganisms, plant seeds, and samples of human blood, all used to continue research into the effects of radiation and weightlessness on living matter. On his return to Earth, Ivan was also used to test the landing system. He entered space again on March 25 of the same year. During both missions, in order to mislead Western eavesdroppers, recordings of recipes and choral singing were transmitted through Ivan’s body. In this way, Ivan traveled around the world, singing while reciting a recipe for cabbage soup.

This work sends a digital avatar of Ivan Ivanovich back into orbit through a satellite that is currently in operation. Released from the historical framework of the Cold War, this digitized Comrade Ivan no longer serves as an anthropomorphic vessel for national power or capital, nor does he remain in the service of the ideology of “conquering the cosmos.” Instead, he reappears as a cluster of data, a piece of space debris drifting beyond the Kármán line, once again circling the Earth with his electronic frogs and his recipe in tow.

Ivan’s journey itself deconstructs the grand narratives associated with outer space. Perhaps this time he has come to test the space art, or perhaps he is simply here at leisure, looking back from deep space at the absurd beginnings of humanity’s cosmic ambition.

伊万·伊万诺维奇 Ivan Ivanovich (Иван Иванович, 在俄语中的意思为 "John Doe") 是一个假人，曾一度被雪藏。早在第一个人类宇航员尤里加加林进入外太空之前，伊万就作为尤里加加林的幻影秘密完成了两次太空⻜行并返回地球，是奠基了人类太空事业的“测试者”。

伊万于1961年3月9日首次进入太空，他的任务是研究生物样本与测试地空语音传输系统。伊万的胸腔和腹腔中装有小鼠、豚鼠、青蛙、苍蝇、微生物、植物种子和人类血液等样本，以继续研究生物的辐射和失重状态。返回地球时，伊万被用来测试着陆系统。同年3月25日，伊万再次进入太空。两次飞行中，为迷惑西方窃听者，伊万的身体被置入⻝谱和唱诗班录音。于是伊万飞遍全世界，一边唱歌一边朗诵卷心菜汤食谱。

本作品通过一颗正在实际运作的卫星将伊万·伊万诺维奇的数字化身再次送回轨道，数字化的伊万同志脱离了冷战的语境，不再充当任何国家资本的拟人化容器，不再服务于“征服宇宙”的意识形态，而是作为一团数据，一件飘过卡门线的太空垃圾，带着它的电子青蛙和食谱再次环绕地球。伊万的旅程本身解构了与太空相关的宏大叙事，或许此行它是前来为太空艺术进行“测试”，又或许只是来休闲，在深空中不断回望人类太空野望的荒谬开端。