Inna Etuvgi - My Psychedelic Garden - SpaceShip

SPACESHIP
fine art photography by Inna Etuvgi

A raindrop on a Cladonia stellaris lichen becomes a space capsule — landed, intact, glowing against an alien landscape. To the left, a large silhouette emerges from the blur, as if someone — or something — is already here, watching.

The photo is not just a visual metaphor — it points to a real story. In 2005, lichens were sealed in a capsule, launched into orbit on a Soyuz rocket — fittingly, a name that means "union" — and exposed to the vacuum and radiation of open space for fifteen days. They survived. Their secret is a union of their own: a lichen is a symbiosis of fungus and alga, two organisms fused into one. Their collaboration is so good that it gives them extraordinary resilience. The experiment lent real weight to the panspermia hypothesis — the idea that life can travel between worlds.

Through the macro lens, this quiet survivor becomes what it may have always been — a cosmic traveller, arrived and at home on unfamiliar ground.


**Alien collection


ABOUT THE PRINT:

Type: Original Fine Art Print (Macro Photography)
Image Size: 30 x 37,5 cm
Paper Size: 33 x 41 cm
Paper: Archival Museum-quality paper, 100% cotton, 300gsm
Edition: 1/25
Authenticity: Signed and numbered by the artist; includes a Certificate of Authenticity.
Condition: New, shipped directly from the artist's studio in Sweden.


OPTIONAL — MAT & READY-TO-FRAME PREPARATION

The print ships on its own, unmatted. If you’d like, I can mount it in a passepartout with a backing board so it slips straight into a standard frame. This is an optional paid service — just message me for the price.

I use pH-neutral archival materials and a reversible mount, so the print can always be removed without damage. For this piece (30 × 37.5 cm) the standard mat is 40 × 50 cm, but I can also cut it to fit your frame.


EDITION

This work is presented in a Special Catawiki Edition (30 x 37,5 cm image on 33 x 41 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 whose work explores the delicate balance between nature, humanity, and technology. Growing up in the remote Arctic, where survival depends on sensitivity to nature’s smallest signs, Etuvgi developed a deep respect for the fragile ecosystems she now captures in her art.

Living with Aphantasia—an inability to visualise mental images—Etuvgi turns to nature to reflect her inner landscapes, using her camera and digital art to externalise emotions and sensations. Through her macro photography, she magnifies the intricate details of nature's smallest elements, urging viewers to see their beauty, quiet resilience, and essential role in sustaining ecosystems. Her work highlights our bond with nature and challenges the human-centred worldview, reminding us of the interconnectedness of all life and encouraging a more mindful, compassionate relationship with the natural world.

Beginning her artistic journey in 2020, Etuvgi was internationally recognised as a finalist for the Arte Laguna Prize in 2022 and received a grant from the Swedish Arts Grants Committee in 2023. As art critic Tabish Khan notes, “Her work transports us to other worlds—both real and imaginary, but always in harmony with nature.”