The Reflection

An astronaut reaches out across a landscape surrounded by waves towards a huge, almost floating figure. The scene refers to Solaris, the 1961 science-fiction novel by Stanisław Lem, and its exploration of humanity’s attempts to understand the unknown.

Canadian artist of Ukrainian origin Dimitri Sirenko created the mural in 2021 to mark the 100th anniversary of Stanisław Lem’s birth. It was commissioned by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Vancouver in partnership with the Vancouver Mural Festival. Lem, known as a Polish writer and philosopher, used science fiction to explore questions of perception, knowledge and the search for extraterrestrial life.

Sirenko conceived "The Reflection" around the question of why humanity is driven to search for other worlds. Is the goal really to discover civilizations beyond our own, or are we ultimately searching for a reflection of ourselves? The otherworldly ocean in the mural is intended to confront the astronaut with something that functions almost like a mirror.

Several additional references are incorporated into the composition. The astronaut wears a Polish flag patch on his shoulder, while other details refer to Lviv and to the geographical and cultural context of Vancouver.

Sirenko studied Media Arts with a focus on animation at Emily Carr University of Art and Design and subsequently spent many years working in the video-game and animation industries. His background as a concept artist and art director is reflected in his ability to construct detailed, narrative visual worlds.