Review: Veins and Skulls / Author: Daniele Serra / Publisher: SST Publications / Release Date: Out Now
An art book of breathtaking erotic horror from British Fantasy Award-winner Daniele Serra.
Desolate and haunting, this collection of watercolours from Italian artist Daniele Serra juxtaposes images of beauty and death. Abandoned cityscapes play home to women mourning the loss of love ones or playfully celebrating the grave. People sink into their environments or enliven them with their presence, as the animate and inanimate clash, exposing the psyche of the artist. Minimal introduction or exposition is given, letting the art stand on its own strength, evoking wonder and dread in the viewer.
Serra’s limited palette imbues every setting with an apocalyptic finality, a world used and forgotten. The women that he paints are always alone, posed with bones, as if mourning the transience of their youth and beauty. Known primarily for his horror artwork, Serra’s art book is chaotic and mischievous more than it is disturbing. Like the works of 44FLOOD, this is art that transcends genre boundaries and deserves to be seen more widely. Our only complaint is that 64 pages felt too brief. Anybody in love with the darkness should seek out a copy of Veins and Skulls.
