photo by Andrew Yoon

Painter, pencil pusher, model, photographer & cosmonomad. Born in Moscow of Russian and Uighur descent, I was raised by a troupe of gypsy scientists from space, who sold me to an American technological research facility in 1992. After a daring escape, I graduated from the LA County High School for the Arts and retreated into an underground studio where I studied with the revered Madame Von Kuntzertag, followed by a brief stint at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I’ve traveled the world gathering art and fashion expertise and am thrice certified as official Finesse Monitor to the Khan throne. I scheme & work on an excess of projects in my secret Angel City den with a nano-companion named Micron, surrounded by mannequins & paint fumes. Interests include adventures, universe-trotting, various art forms, collecting odd medical tools, literature, dancing, speeding down empty roads at 3 am with the windows down and the music up, arcane/ultramodern technology, and space-travel.

I’m a co-founder of Coilhouse – a blog and a print magazine that focuses on alternative culture.

In addition to writing for Coilhouse I contribute urban exploration + event photo galleries to ChinaShop and occasional fashion rants to Haute Macabre.

I’m a staff photographer at Suicidegirls.com – that’s also where I got my official pro-blogging start with “What’s Zo Wearing?” – a weekly fashion column that ran from November 2006 through February 2008.

Contact: zoetica [at] gmail [dot] com

My posts on Coilhouse

Click here to see all of my Coilhouse posts

My posts on Chinashop

Click here to see all of my posts on Chinashop

My Posts on Haute Macabre

Click here to see all of my posts on Haute Macabre

What’s Zo Wearing?

Click for an archive of my first fashion Column on Suicidegirls.Com

FAQ

What inspires you?

Russian Orthodox iconography and the Futurists, Hentai and Da Vinci, The films of Tarkovsky, Gilliam, Cronenberg, and Lynch, the books of Bulgakov, Kafka and Gibson alongside high fashion photography and Rococo. Nightmares, paranoia and sexual phobias paired with glossed lips, fancy tailoring and elaborate hair.

Can you draw me a picture?

Yes! I take on both ink and oil commissions. Email me with the size and medium you’re interested in for a quote. You can also stop by my store to see what’s available right now.

Can I buy Coilhouse Magazine or merchandise from you?

No – you must go through the Coilhouse store.

Where did you get your glasses?

The pink frames are from a nameless eyeglass boutique somewhere in Tokyo’s Nakano district.

The clear and titanium frames are by X-I-T and the black swirly frames are by Spexxx Eyeworks.

Who does your hair and which hair dye do you use?

I dye my hair at home with Blue Velvet by Special Effects, mixed with Manic Panic’s Shocking Blue. I usually cut it myself, leaving just the back to various stylists.

Who tattoos you?

The incomparable Tim Kern is working on my back piece.

What are your tools?

Micron and Copic Multiliner pens

Windsor and Newton oil paints

Canon 5D camera with a 35mm 1:14 lens

Photoshop CS3 on a MacBook Pro

Can I take you for a ride on my crotch-rocket?

Sorry boys and girls, no.

If you have a question that might benefit others, please ask it publicly [and anonymously, if you prefer], here on Formspring. It might take me a while to get to it, but I will, eventually.