ALIEN BOTANY
Would you allow a strange organism to merge with your DNA if it meant survival in a harsh alien environment? How much of your “self” do you need to still be you, and, ultimately, does it matter? These are the questions facing a shipwrecked cosmonaut documenting the ecosystem of her new reality in Zoetica Ebb’s concept series, Alien Botany™. The unnamed protagonist’s findings are presented with detailed ink diagrams of mystery flora and of the ways it interacts with human hosts – presumably other crew members of the ill-fated space mission.
These works on paper employ a vocabulary of techniques drawn from enlightenment-age naturalist studies and Victorian medical illustration. Alien Botany examines states of divergence, surrender, and equilibrium through the eyes of a lifelong immigrant, speaking to the boundless human capacity for adaptation. Pulling at preconceptions of what is innately natural, Zoetica looks to the potential of our genetic alphabet in an imagined future among the stars.
ABOUT ZOETICA EBB
Zoetica Ebb is a London-based multicultural artist. She grew up in Moscow during the twilight years of the Communist regime, drawing inspiration from her family’s library of SciFi, art, and magical realism. Zoetica’s early years were coloured by a sense of liminality and isolation, owing to her parents deciding to emigrate when she was very young, then waiting years for legal approval. She retreated into a world of her own, drawing and reading instead of making friends she’d soon have to leave behind.
Moving to Los Angeles after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Zoetica couldn’t find a sense of belonging; seeking answers and adventure, she left home at fourteen to delve into the secrets of the bayou in the Deep South. After having her fill of conferring with voodoo priestesses and playing catch with alligators, she graduated from the LA County High School for the Arts with a focus on oil painting. Reinforcing her interest in oil and ink, she studied at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and later returned to exhibiting in Los Angeles in addition to exploring projects congruent with her interests in fringe art & culture.
In 2007, Zoetica founded Coilhouse Magazine – a print and web publication with the tagline, "a love letter to alternative culture, in an era where alternative culture no longer exists." As co-editor she curated, conducted interviews, wrote, and illustrated. Coilhouse was lauded for its discerning coverage of art, music, fashion, film, technology and literature.
In 2011, Zoetica created The Secret Guide to Alternative Beijing - a travel series offering insight into the alternative art, fashion, music, and nightlife culture in Beijing. Earlier that year, she crowd-funded D4RT – a project through which Zoetica brought art classes and supplies to the children of a remote developing village in the Peruvian Amazon jungle.
After leaving Los Angeles in 2012, Zoetica lived in Northern California and Ireland before docking in the UK. In addition to developing the Alien Botany series, she has launched three capsule fashion collections featuring these illustrations. Years of migration have led Zoetica to embracing alienation as a valuable chosen state; her work speaks to the boundless human capacity for adaptation in the face of impossible odds.
EDUCATION
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
SELECT PUBLICATIONS
Chimeric Herbarium: the World of Zoetica Ebb, 2022
Auxiliary Magazine Summer 2022, illustrated feature
Aliens ArtBook, illustration
The Thing ArtBook, illustration
Auxiliary Magazine Summer 2020, cover story
Auxiliary Magazine Spring 2016, Alien Botany interview and editorial
Auxiliary Magazine Summer 2014, cover story
Mythogynist Volume 4, interview feature
SELECT EXHIBITIONS
2022: Chimeric Herbarium solo exhibition, London, UK
2019: Residency at Still Life, London, GB
2018: The Miniature Show, Dorothy Circus Gallery, Rome, Italy
2018: Art in the Crypt, Crypt Gallery, London, UK
2017: The Thing 35th Anniversary Art Show, Creature Features, Los Angeles, CA
2016: "Specimens and Hosts", 3 Bees, San Mateo, CA
2015: Hive Gallery Ten-year Anniversary Show, Los Angeles, CA
2014: The Second Annual Coaster Show, La Luz De Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2013: Gag Me With a Toon 5, WWA Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2013: Conjoined 3, Copro Nason Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2012: Veneris, Skotia Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2012: Gag Me With a Toon 4, WWA Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2012: Conjoined 2 in 3D, Copro Nason Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2010: This is Not an Invitation to Rape Me, Fox Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2010: The Ghost of Delilah and Other Stories, Gallery 1988, Los Angeles, CA
2010: The Best Little Whorehouse in Los Angeles, CA, Foundation Room, Los Angeles, CA
2009: Monster?, Copro Nason Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2009: Induced Epidemics, Chaos Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2009: Beerotica 2, The Hive Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2008: Fist Full of Metal, Hope Gallery, NYC, NY
2008: "Off World Cloud Hunters", Plastik Wrap, Toronto, Canada
2008: Dances of Vice, Element, NYC, NY
2008: Beerotica, The Hive Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2007: Seven Brides Electrified, Jail gallery, Los Angeles, CA (curated and exhibited)
2006: Masters of the Dark, Night Gallery, Santa Ana, CA
2005: Arena Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2003: Launch Pad - Next Generation, Don O'Melveny Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2001: Hodge Podge, curated by Julie Rico - Highway Performance Space, Los Angeles, CA
2001: Group exhibition, Don O'Melveny Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1999: Obscurity to Freedom - Russian Immigrant Artists, Finegood Gallery, Los Angeles, CA