The artist created this project inspired by his Paris-based friend’s story. For a long time, she had been breeding butterflies and moths, literally living together with them in a small room. At that moment, she was going through gender transitioning and had been taking hormones. Once, she forgot to dispose the used ampoule, and the insects showed a vivid interest in the medicine: they were stuck all over the flask trying to drink the remaining fluid with their proboscises. This is how the artist came to think of a butterfly as a metaphor of transformation and transition, this particular insect being able to totally reincarnate, twice changing not only its body, but also its brain. Such a metamorphosis within one species seems incredible and magical, especially if you think of it in terms of a human being.

In his artistic practice, Ilya Fedotov-Fedorov analyzes the domination of man over natural processes and his attempts to control them. In his work, one can often find the image of cages, zoos and reflections on scientific knowledge, which Ilya considers as a tool for dissecting and controlling nature. The artist often draws parallels between animals and humans, trying to thin the boundaries between them.

Ilya's projects were presented at the Moscow International Biennale of Contemporary Art, the Ural Industrial Biennale of Contemporary Art and the Venice Biennale. In 2018, the artist won a special Innovation prize in the New Generation category. Ilya participated in residencies in Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium.

The artist's works are in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art and in private collections. His works have been exhibited in museums and galleries in Russia, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the USA.