Inna Etuvgi - Alien

ALIEN


A raindrop settles on a Cladonia stellaris lichen — and suddenly there is a cosmonaut. A small figure in a helmet, standing on unfamiliar ground. 


This is the image that gave the series its name. And the word “Alien” works on more than one level: lichens are alien in form, alien to most people's awareness, and alien in the original sense — newcomers to uninhabited territory. They are the first to colonize bare rock, building soil so that everything else can follow. 


Through the macro lens, this organism stands at human scale. Not something to step over — a pioneer, quietly doing the work of making the world habitable.


*The photograph is part of the “Alien” collection, which is a blend of unique photography and fine art showcasing the lichens' resilience, cosmic potential, and pioneering role in nature. This collection brought Etuvgi to the final of the 16th Arte Laguna Prize and was displayed at the finalists' exhibition in Venice's Arsenale.


ABOUT THE PRINT:

Type: Original Fine Art Print (Macro Photography)
Image Size: 30 x 40 cm
Paper Size: 33 x 43 cm
Paper: Archival Museum-quality paper, 100% cotton, 300gsm
Edition: 3/15
Authenticity: Signed and numbered by the artist; includes a Certificate of Authenticity.
Condition: New, shipped directly from the artist's studio in Sweden.

* If you would like this work delivered with a mat and ready for framing, please send me a message.


EDITION

This work is presented in a Special Catawiki Edition (30×40 cm image on 33×43 cm paper). The artist's larger-scale Studio and Master Editions are sold through premier online galleries; this size is not available through any gallery or platform. It can only be acquired directly from the artist's studio or through selected auction releases. Produced to the same archival standards as all editions.


ABOUT THE ARTIST

Inna Etuvgi is a Swedish-Chukchi art photographer and digital artist, internationally recognised as an Arte Laguna Prize finalist (Venice) and a recipient of the Swedish Arts Grants Committee grant. Born in a remote Arctic village in Chukotka and trained in technical cybernetics, she began her artistic practice in 2020 and has since exhibited across Europe — in Venice, London, Barcelona, Palermo, and San Marino.

Etuvgi lives with aphantasia — she cannot see images in her mind. Her camera and AI serve as extensions of her visual imagination, allowing her to create what she cannot picture internally. Through macro photography she enters the hidden worlds of mosses, lichens, and dewdrops; through digital art she gives form to psychological states and inner archetypes. Both are rooted in a deep sensitivity shaped by her Chukchi upbringing — an instinct to feel into every living thing.

As art critic Tabish Khan notes: "Her work transports us to other worlds — both real and imaginary, but always in harmony with nature."