Artist
Redeat Wondemu
Title
Astronaut
Date2025
MediumArchival pigment print
Dimensions59 x 42 in. (149.9 x 106.7 cm)
Object numberDCCAH2026.062
ClassificationsPhotographs
Locations
Martin Luther King, Jr. Library (901 G St NW)
DescriptionAstronaut is a large-scale photographic portrait inspired by an oral history shared by a native Washingtonian and archived in the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library’s Peoples Archive. The photograph draws from the sitter’s childhood memory of transforming everyday materials into a spacesuit and creating a personal universe where anything – including space travel –felt possible. Rooted in imagination and make-believe, the work reflects how play becomes a powerful site of self-discovery, aspiration, and belonging—particularly for children navigating urban environments shaped by change. Through its scale and clarity, Wondemu elevates childhood play as both cultural inheritance and quiet resistance—an act of dreaming beyond one’s immediate surroundings. This work is part of a larger series by the artist called The Games We Played in DC, which explores childhood play across time and place.
