Dark Market 2024 Illustrator: ZICRONA
- Posted on
- Posted in Dark Market
MEET THE ARTIST
Ziccy Delamarter a.k.a. ZICRONA
(they/them)
Illustration BFA, 2024
The Dark Market is a spooky collection of works by Columbia artists with an emphasis on the macabre. Enjoy a sampling of spooky items on display now in store and online through October 31, 2024.
Every year ShopColumbia commissions an original illustration to promote our The Dark Market. Get to know this year's illustrator: ZICRONA!
Dark Market 2024 signature illustration by Zicrona
What inspired you to create this illustration?
"Non-binary Dance Party!" is a mural I completed in the summer of 2023 for the Columbia Student Spaces conference room. I was graciously given the time and materials to complete this 13-foot-long mural with complete artistic freedom. The design initially came from a rejected mural proposal for the Hilton. It was a very passionate design, and I knew I wanted to complete it as a mural. When Columbia Student Spaces came to me with a mural proposal, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to utilize the design. As a muralist, I love to use bright colors, bold line work, and have a message behind the design. I wanted to create an exciting, fun, and queer illustration that showed off my skills as a horror illustrator as well. "Non-binary Dance Party!" showcases the bright and colorful aura of queer centered spaces.
How have you benefited from designing the Dark Market illustration?
Being this year's Dark Market Illustrator has allowed one of my favorite pieces to receive a lot more appreciation. It has also increased my reputation and been a great promotional piece.
What is your favorite part of Halloween?
My favorite part of Halloween is how everyone truly embraces the weird and creative parts of themselves. Everyone dresses up in costumes, the parties are always themed, and everything is covered in creepy crawly designs and gothic decor—all things that make up my favorite aesthetics.
Give us an update about recent projects/artistic life events; what's next for you?
I just graduated from Columbia with a BFA in illustration, and post-grad has been a whirlwind of ups and downs. I have been incredibly busy between moving, working, and planning. Currently, I am working as a Ceramics Instructor at a Pottery Studio in Pilsen. I recently won first place in a live painting competition at the West Loop Arts Festival and closed my first solo exhibition, "My Grotesque Comforts". I have been working on a fantastic group exhibition for current students at Columbia, which will open in December, and I have also recently moved into a new studio space! Overall, post-grad has been booked and busy, but I am so grateful for the many opportunities I have worked towards!
Artist Statement
Ziccy, also known as Zicrona, is a muralist, printmaker, fine artist, illustrator, and street gore fanatic based in Chicago, IL. Using both traditional and digital materials, Ziccy explores themes of queer identity, bodily autonomy, and their grotesque indulgences. Through studies of anatomy and found specimens, the artist creates provocative visual narratives inspired by their experiences, combining real subjects with freakish ideas to create phantasmagorical works. Most often, their work can be found wheat-pasted in the streets of whatever city they inhabit. Zicrona's work has been featured in galleries, shops, and alleyways throughout Chicago, New York, Rome, California, and more.