Alexis Zoto is a practicing artist and an Associate Professor of Art and Design at the USC Roski School of Art and Design. She has shown widely in Los Angeles, as well as nationally and internationally. Her site specific installations have been exhibited at a wide range of venues from the Venice Biennale in Italy to the Los Angeles International Airport. Material exploration, research, and identity are the drivers of what she makes. At the moment, the materials she uses are items for weaving such as a variety of yarns, up-cyling dry cleaning bags, shoelaces, her kids clothing and whatever else she finds. She has a scholarly aspect to her practice. She researches and has published papers on Albanian kilims, textiles, and weavers. This her ethnicity, craft, and cultural heritage informs her work as much as family lore and the acculturation she has witnessed.
In addition to her art practice, Alexis researches Albanian rugs, kilims and textiles. She has presented and published papers on the subject around the world.