Astra Zero, born Dustin Nicholls, is a Canadian

digital artist Digital art, or the digital arts, is artistic work that uses digital technology as part of the creative or presentational process. It can also refer to computational art that uses and engages with digital media. Since the 1960s, various names have ...

, illustrator, photographer, creative director, graphic designer and musician. He began to use the name Astra Zero as a teenager in a punk band "and we all decided we wanted alter egos and for whatever reason".

Family and early life

Nicholls grew up in

Faro, Yukon Faro is a town in central Yukon, Canada, the home of the now abandoned Faro Mine. It was the largest open-pit lead– zinc mine in the world as well as a significant producer of silver and other natural resources. The mine was built by the ...

. His biological father is part- First Nation, part-Scottish. He was a keen artist from a young age, painting and drawing. His grandfather, also an artist, taught him as a child. He began experimenting with digital art as a teenager, using a family scanner and printer saying, "I would collect random stuff like leaves and garbage and scan it and then layer it over old photos and then print them out and draw over them." He then moved into using Photoshop and other similar programmes.

Work

Astra Zero's greatest influence is the Canadian artist,

Floria Sigismondi Floria Sigismondi (, born 1965) is an Italian-Canadian film director, screenwriter, music video director, artist, and photographer. She is best known for writing and directing '' The Runaways'', for directing music videos for performers includ ...

. Other inspirations are horror, sci-fi and fantasy films, 90s cartoons plus gay and pop culture. Collections have included ''Infernal'', ''Queer Horror Icons'', ''Night Rebels'', ''Dirty Paper'', ''Latex and Bones'', ''Restless Vampire'', ''Pop Culture'' and ''Dark Vintage''.

Historical parodies

He created historical parodies of: * '' The Descent from the Cross'' (1435)

Rogier van der Weyden Rogier van der Weyden (; 1399 or 140018 June 1464), initially known as Roger de le Pasture (), was an Early Netherlandish painting, early Netherlandish painter whose surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commis ...

* '' Age22'' (1493)

Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...

* '' Sleeping Venus'' (1508)

Giorgione Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco (; 1470s – 17 September 1510), known as Giorgione, was an Italian painter of the Venetian school during the High Renaissance, who died in his thirties. He is known for the elusive poetic quality of his work, ...

* '' The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian'' (1577)

El Greco Doménikos Theotokópoulos (, ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco (; "The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance, regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time. ...

* '' The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest'' (1580) El Greco * ''

Girl with a Pearl Earring ''Girl with a Pearl Earring'' () is an oil painting by Dutch Golden Age painter Johannes Vermeer, dated 1665. Going by various names over the centuries, it became known by its present title towards the end of the 20th century because of the e ...

'' (1665)

Johannes Vermeer Johannes Vermeer ( , ; see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch ...

* ''

Portrait of Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier and his Wife The ''Portrait of Antoine and Marie-Anne Lavoisier'' () is a double portrait of the French chemist Antoine Lavoisier and his wife and collaborator Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze, commissioned from the French painter Jacques-Louis David in 1788 by Mar ...

'' (1788)

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

* ''

Nymphs and Satyr ''Nymphs and Satyr'' () is an oil on canvas painting created by the French artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau in 1873. The painting depicts a satyr and a group of nymphs from Greek mythology. ''Nymphs and Satyr'' was exhibited in Paris at the 187 ...

'' (1873)

William-Adolphe Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French Academic art, academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of Classicism, classical subjects, with a ...

* ''The Wave'' (1896) William-Adolphe Bouguereau * ''Triumph of Darkness'' (1896)

Sascha Schneider Rudolph Karl Alexander Schneider, commonly known as Sascha Schneider (21 September 1870 – 18 August 1927), was a German painter and sculptor. Biography Schneider was born in Saint Petersburg in 1870. During his childhood, his family lived ...

* ''La Jeune Fille et la Mort'' (1900)

Henri-Léopold Lévy Henri-Léopold Lévy (23 September 1840, Nancy, France, Nancy - 29 December 1904, Paris) was a French painter of Jewish ancestry, known primarily for mythological and Biblical subjects. Biography He was the son of an interior decorator and embr ...

* ''Soldat Germain Avec un Casque'' (1902)

Osmar Schindler Osmar Schindler (December 21, 1867 – June 19, 1927) was a German painter belonging to the Dresden Academy school of artists. His works were considered a mixture of impressionism and Art Nouveau. Life Osmar Schindler was born on December 22, ...

His most popular parody is ''Temptation of Adam & Steve'', a revamp of ''

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

'' (1628) by

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

Other work

Astra Zero has worked regularly with

Alice Glass Margaret Osborn (born 25 August 1988), known professionally as Alice Glass, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is the co-founder and former frontwoman of the electronic band Crystal Castles. In 2014, she embarked on a solo career. She rel ...

and Alice Longyu Gao as photo and video editor, artist, photographer, animator, visualiser and director. Astra Zero created the animation for

The Pretty Reckless The Pretty Reckless is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2009. The band consists of Taylor Momsen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Ben Phillips (lead guitar, backing vocals), Mark Damon (bass), and Jamie Perkins (drums). In Augus ...

's 2020 music video

Death by Rock and Roll ''Death by Rock and Roll'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Pretty Reckless, released on February 12, 2021. It is the band's first album released with their new label, Fearless Records, and is also the band's first album sin ...

with art direction by Lucas David. He created the artwork and text for the cover of

REZZ Isabelle Rezazadeh (born 28 March 1995), who is known by her stage name Rezz (stylized in all caps), is a Ukrainian–Canadian DJ and record producer from Niagara Falls, Ontario. Rezz released her debut extended play (EP) ''Insurrection'' in ...

+ Alice Glass's single ''Not Enough'' and Saint Agnes's album ''Bloodsuckers''. His work featured on the front cover of Bear World Magazine's 10th anniversary issue in October 2023.

Other artistic contributions

In 2024, Astra Zero created the new cover artwork for

The Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home video, home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films". A "sister company" of art film, arth ...

's re-release of the 1982 film ''

Querelle ''Querelle'' is a 1982 English-language erotic art film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The film stars Brad Davis and was adapted from French author Jean Genet's 1947 novel '' Querelle of Brest''. The plot centers on the Belgian sailor G ...

''.''Querelle'' on The Criterion Collection website
/ref> The artwork generated some discussion and controversy.Astra Zero Creates Controversial Cover Art for Criterion's 'Querelle' Re-Release
on Edge Media NetworkWhy This Homoerotic Classic About Sweaty Sailors Is Stirring Up Controversy 40 Years Later
on Queerty Sources noted the bold and modern artistic direction taken for the cover of the film, which is known for its homoerotic themes and sensual imagery, with some finding it to be a significant departure from the film's aesthetic while others appreciated the fresh perspective.

Publications

He has published the following books: * * * * * with Dustin Nicholls * *

Music

Astra Zero has released eleven singles and two EPs to date:

Singles

* ''Chemistry'', ''Back To Life'' (2015) * ''We Make the Rules'' (2016) * ''Chemistry'' (2017) * ''Walking on Fire'', ''Wasted Tears'' (2018) * ''Broke This'', ''Let It Roll'' (2019) * ''Broke This (Extended Version)'' (2020) * ''Electric Hate / Revenge Spell'' (2024) * ''Wasted Tears -variant2'' (2025)

EPs

* ''Drafts & Demo_s. Vol. 001 : Vulgar (Instrumentals)'' (2025) * ''Drafts & Demo_s. Vol. 001 : Vulgar'' (2025)

Other Releases

* ''broke this. again'' (Limited Edition Vinyl Record & CD) (2025)

References

{{Reflist Gay male erotica artists Parodies of paintings Canadian male artists Canadian LGBTQ artists Canadian erotic artists Queer artists Canadian digital artists Artists from Yukon Canadian gay artists Canadian queer artists Artists from British Columbia Canadian video artists Canadian LGBTQ musicians Canadian gay musicians