Vhils' portrait of Andreas Mogensen

When ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen was in space for his 10-day ‘iriss’ mission in September, he took a special portrait of himself created by Portuguese visual artist Vhils.

The work was made to fit exactly in the main window of the Cupola module, the European space observatory on the International Space Station. Printed on perforated plastic, Vhils' work lets the light and colours of Earth shine through as the Space Station flies overhead at 28 800 km/h.

Vhils is a renowned artist known for his larger-than-life portraits that are chipped straight into buildings’ walls. His work has appeared all over the world, and now above it.

His art in space is part of a project directed by Miguel Gonçalves Mendes called the ‘The Meaning of Life’ that documents the lives of seven people including Andreas Mogensen.

More information can be found on the film’s website.