Epidermis of the Nightfall /w Anastasia Smith

Greetings. I would like to introduce you to Anastasia Smith. Poet of the forlorn entities, gothic paintress of the impaled fervour. Oh, don’t brood. Anastasia’s poetry and illustrations created in a manner of an obsidian estranged on a lava. When the nightfalls, Anastasia leaves trace for you to unravel. An Illumination for the missing fragments of her uncanny poetry. It’s merely the epidermis of the nightfall, you have to fall into the depths to reach the other layers where obscurity duels you for a heroic challenge. The obscurity will seize your presence, reflection. Confront thyself. Be on guard!

(Courtesy of Anastasia Smith)

(Courtesy of Anastasia Smith)

Incurable thirst Now that I bathe in the dark waters I've mistaken for not believing my empty soul could dehydrate Damned and parched, watching my aura submerge sink further into these waters which you could never drink of,nonetheless for you to intoxicate From the spilt venom of the sea serpents Drain the blackness of their lifeblood in her Savour a single sip of the bittersweet taste Addicted to the Maniae's delerium, and the false serotoninof their delusional side effects The sirens too, played their harps out of veins (By Anastasia Smith & Sara Brunner, in 2021)

Could you tell us about yourself?

Anastasia: I’m a South African , Italian and French Creole traditional artist. I specialise in a monochromatic or classic noir style palette which occasionally has a pop of colour in some pieces. These are of Neoclassical/ Neogothic themes, which can include elements such as dark mediaeval castles , cathedrals ,potraits of dark mythological characters and even metal celebrities whom on my own works have a compelling influence.

What was your initial impulse that made you draw dark illustrations?

Anastasia: My initial impulse for creating dark illustrations was during loss in my life which led me into releasing the emotional pain onto canvas. Thereafter, finding peculiar comfort in darkness and the beauty of all that is macabre. These which also resonate with me spiritually after finding out more about myself. Without this darkness fuelling my creativity, I would not be the person I am now in this present lifetime.

What kind of existence would you like to live in, if you had options to simulate?

Anastasia: Within less than a heartbeat, I would travel into the otherworldly simulation of Middle Earth, and Dracula’s castle during his battle era on Romanian land. There is something hauntingly magnetic about these times, and places which unravel an odd sense of nostalgia, longing and even Déjà vu for me personally.

How do you consider fashion in the realm of art?

Anastasia: I consider fashion in the realm of art essential. Fashion designers create these otherworldly, and ethereal outfits that embody the cherished character’s essence and even through means of historical accuracy to portray a certain era that we knew our beloved shows/series/ or movies as. A good example where I constantly think about fashion as art itself is when I’m drawing characters, such as Aragorn or Geralt , wearing a Mediaeval- period pieced armour that was in actuality used for battles during those times. Fashion is wearable, and imperative art that portrays centuries and even that of who we are internally.

(Courtesy of Anastasia Smith)

Do you find comfort in melancholy?

Anastasia: Yes. Acknowledging my personal melancholy, accepting it and releasing it through art thereafter, knowing that it fuels my creative fire, is comforting.

To the best of my knowledge, you are fond of dark poetry, do you destroy all of your personas to become the REAL Anastasia while writing poems?

Anastasia: Yes. I appreciate dark poetry and create so. And I don’t entirely destroy my personas , for writing, as this all depends on my current moods which I’m manifesting into words, so this means I’ll have to face my current persona that is festering that emotion, and creating beautiful language manipulation from it.

Could you interpret the rhyme below from your pristine imagination?

We’re hoping for a feast,Hold the boiling,Halt the baking,Here are empty bellies aching,We perch here all day long,Growing meaner,Growing sinner,You’d better step along,Or you might be Sunday-dinner.

Anastasia: Reading this curious poetic piece, I imagine , oddly, a couple of pigs and other farm animals waiting to be fed by the farmer. Waiting to consume. Thereafter, the neglect causes these pigs and animals to become aggressive towards men ,and overpowering them , only for the one pig to become greedy for power and even ends up abusing the farm animals. This poem reminds me of the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell.

(Courtesy of Anastasia Smith)

According to you, why do we live?

Anastasia: In my subjective opinion, I believe we live to experience what defines our own personal existence. Being mortal means that we only have one life (as we merely know for now) and that is our fleeting moments to experience what makes us ourselves. For truthfully, we all don’t know our true purpose and can only define it personally.

Credits

Anastasia Smith’s Instagram Page: @anastasiasmithart

(The rhyme in the interview taken from the edutainment book called Darby The Dragon, published in 1996, by Broderbund.)

#darkvisualarts #visualarts #darkphotography #darkaesthetic #DarkFashion