Artist Interview: 𝕽𝖎 𝖅𝖆𝖘

The dynamic expression of art stirs within something ancient. We interviewed 𝕽𝖎 𝖅𝖆𝖘 (ree zus) and found a resonate meaning within their art. A sentence from their portfolio describes my feelings exposed by their creations: "The lines that divide finished from incomplete, representative from abstraction are blurred as recognizable figures from life and nature are combined with the chaos of the invisible inner psyche."

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Q1. What initially sparked your interest in pursuing art, and how has it shaped your life journey so far?

I’ve always been artistically-inclined for as far back as my memory goes, and even before I began schooling, I was drawing. As for what initially sparked this love, I can only guess that it was the physical act of creating something from seemingly nothing that hooked me, and this love has never faltered since. The fact that I effectively placed myself on this career path from the very start has shaped my life tremendously, from how I approached my schooling to how I live my day-to-day life presently. I’ve given up a lot over the course of my life in order to be able to be the artist that I am now; countless hours have been spent in pursuit of this dream, and while it’s been hard, I hold no regrets because I truly feel that I’m meant to do what I do.

Q2. If you could choose any location in the world as your ultimate artistic inspiration, where would it be and why?

That’s a really tough one! I don’t often get the chance to travel outside of New York due to monetary reasons, and I’ve never been outside of the US before. In particular, I’ve always wanted to visit Berlin to see their legendary art scene for myself. Having grown up near NYC, I’ve always really loved just walking around, taking in all the architecture, nature, and of course visiting the museums and galleries—so I think Berlin would certainly be a good place to start, at least!

Q3. What do you consider your most unusual or unexpected source of creative inspiration?

This always sounds strange to people when I tell them, but my central muse for the past two decades has actually been death. I first encountered this very early in life, undergoing many more traumas since, and this has resulted in it becoming a primary focus in much of my work as both a means of coping, as well as simply a love of the aesthetic. Right now I’m very into Victorian-era headstones in particular, and have been very influenced by the specific symbols commonly found on them.

Q4. Aside from art, what are some of your favorite hobbies or activities that help you relax and unwind?

Outside of art, I love to read (when my attention span allows), go on walks amongst my local nature, and play simple puzzle games. Not to brag, but I’m really good at Tetris!

Q5. If you were to create an art piece that represents your personality, what elements and colors would you incorporate?

I like to believe I’m made of multitudes, so there would definitely be a large palette of colors involved, with black as a central focus since I’m known for my heavy gothic leanings. I also place a lot of emotional value into certain objects from both my childhood and present-day, so I would love to incorporate not only images of them, but take real ones and attach them. I’m a big fan of as much physical and visual texture as I can put into a piece, so I think there would be a lot going on there, and maybe even seem like ‘too much’. This too, though, would fit in very nicely, as someone who has been ‘too much’ for others who don’t or can’t understand me.

Q6. Can you share a funny or memorable story from your creative experiences that has stayed with you over the years?

I’ve got two! The first is a memory of going with my mother to parent-teacher night in preschool, where my teacher actually pulled out the art that I’d done over the past few months and talked about how genuinely impressed she was, and that my parents should definitely encourage this in me. A more funny one is once when I was in art school, when a friend and classmate was attending some sort of event in the cafeteria, and one of our usual life-drawing models (who all pose nude for us) was actually there hanging out with everyone. He got to talking with my friend and asked what major she was in, and when she said fine arts, he went, “Oh! So you’ve SEEN me, then.” and all she could say in return was, “Yeah.”

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You can see more Sabrina Accetta here.

- OM