Ashley Zelinskie is an artist into "space stuff." Behind an accessible, childlike joy for astronomy and the infinite wonders of planetary science and all things astro, is a deep desire to engage with hard science through the playful prism of artistic exploration and humble proximity intervention. Her works span a variety of media, from sculpture, canvas and print works, to digital art, VR, and holograms. Each artwork is created using cutting edge technology such as 3D printing, computer-guided laser cutting, satellite plating technology, and gaming engines. Her work focuses on visualizing data in abstract forms and finding new and interesting ways to describe complex ideas. On this episode, we discuss how her art, regardless of medium, not only responds to scientific efforts, but often inspires them.

Ashley’s work has been featured by The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vice, Popular Science, Space.com, and more. Her work forms part of the permanent collection of the US Department of State Art in Embassies Program, The Whitney Museum’s artport collection, and has been exhibited at Sotheby’s New York, ArtScience Museum in Singapore and most recently Art Center Nabi in Seoul. Zelinskie is a former resident of New Inc.—the New Museum’s Art and Technology Incubator—and the Shapeways x Museum of Art and design “Out of Hand” exhibition residency. A graduate of RISD, she has worked alongside NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Smithsonian and she is a member of Onassis ONX XR studio in New York City. She has a solo exhibition in November 2026 with Heft Gallery in NYC that is set to interrogate the tricky dichotomy between public and private spacefaring agencies, informed by her unique, up-close, hands-on experience.