Κostis Velonis’s series of works Wandering Sculptures, inspired by Snoopy and the Peanuts universe, is an investigation into the political and philosophical implications of the relationship between humans and animals, seen through the lens of coexistence and communication. Snoopy becomes a symbol of the re-evaluation of our relationship with animals, one which serves to topple the traditional hierarchy of human vs non-human life. In his Wandering Sculptures, permanent and short-term housing typologies morph into spaces for diverse encounters and for dialogue. At a time marked by displacement and environmental crisis, Snoopy’s world becomes a point of departure for a visual narrative about self-determination, empathy and the meaning of hospitality; a space for reflection on the need to ensure the survival not only of humans but of every single creature sharing the planet with us.   

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The work titled How to guarantee conditions of contemplation of the older feline population is the result of my efforts to help arthritic cats who have trouble climbing on trees. It is a pet sculpture, a sort of elevated, covered platform, at once providing shelter and a treehouse-like experience of contemplation, of surveying the ground from above. The work is based on El Lissitzky’s unrealised design for a tribune to be used by Lenin. In fact, it is an appropriation and adaptation of that design to suit my own purposes. Cats show us how to get in touch with our intrinsic anarchism, though not by acting as protesters. That position is perhaps more akin to dogs, who share a pack mentality and acknowledge the role of the dominant male, of the leader as understood in ideological terms. The work, however, references
a different debate, one which is about a politics of care and love, of providing refuge and pleasure. (Kostis Velonis)