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In the dimly lit corners of artistic passion, William Darkdrac aka. Psyhoudini’s, canvases whisper the echoes of his inner anguish. Drawn to the chilling allure of ghosts, horror, vampires, and witches, his art becomes a portal to the shadows that dance within the human psyche. Yet, beyond the surface, William’s fascination extends to the realms of philosophy, occultism, and the enigmatic embrace of secrecy. With each stroke of the brush, they navigate a landscape where pain and the arcane converge, creating art that is both a mirror his torment and a window into the mysteries that haunt the human experience.
Hi William! Thank you for sitting down with me. First question that I always ask. How does a regular day look like for you in Barcelona?
I wake up at midnight, drink a glass of fresh blood, put on my armour, and ride my horse to battle.
I’m curious. Growing up, what kind of kid were you, what did you enjoy doing and how did you spend your time?
I had a complicated childhood, I spent a lot of time by myself, so I’ve been drawing as long as I can remember. I used to draw myself with propellers in my arms to escape this planet.
So who is Psychoudini, who was born in 1718?
Psychoudini is the character I created to take refuge in painting. He comes from ancient times and is always misunderstood, like vampires when they talk about eternity. It seemed like a good metaphor to define that my work and my soul comes from 1718, even though my body is trapped in the present.
When did you start to paint, and when did you start taking being an artist seriously?
As I told you before, I started creating as a kid to escape the reality I lived in, generally through painting or music. But I consider myself professional for about three years or so.
Alright, let’s talk about your work now. Can you start by telling me about your infatuation with mouths and teeth?
My work always tries to narrate the pain and ghosts that surround me, that’s why you will always find screaming mouths or disturbing gazes in it. The art of the Middle Ages and Francis Bacon’s work are also big references for me. His obsession with the scream as a symbol of horror, the toothless mouth or with deformed and sometimes bloody teeth, has always inspired and identified me.
With that in mind. Reading your bio on your website, you reference to drinking blood, and going out searching for it. Can you talk to me about what it is about the occult, horror, vampires etc.. that resonates with you?
Dark characters like vampires or witches have always been frowned upon by society. I’ve always felt like a weirdo who didn’t fit in, something that made me feel lonely and sad as a child. As I have grown, I have realized that deep down I wasn’t wrong, since the social constructs that surround us are fucking shit and those characters were the true superheroes.
On the other hand, I have always been interested in philosophy, occultism and secrecy. They are the tools I use to unravel the reality of the world in which we live.
Who are the various characters in your paintings? And how do you come up with them?
Many of my characters are based on old engravings, movie characters or witch book’s illustrations, others are simply my own ghosts and demons.
Can you walk me through your creative process. From beginning, to end result?
In general, I don’t usually make sketches, I just look at the blank canvas and let my demons act for me, as if I was possessed. I think that this is exactly what gives my paintings the essence of life or death that I am looking for.
I always light a candle before painting, since for me painting is a ritual through which I invoke something on that canvas.
I act as a vector for something bigger and in the end the final result is simply a communication of energy that remains on the canvas.
Alright, so besides painting you’re also into fashion, and have your own clothing brand called “GOODBYE WORLD”. Can you talk to me a little bit about that?
Goodbye World, started before I took painting seriously. I decided to make some T-shirts, to get some money for more paint, and seeing that it was successful I decided to start a clothing brand.
At clothing events they always treated me as a designer, which I have never liked much because I don’t know much about tailoring or pattern making, I’m just interested in aesthetics and playing with it.
What motivates you?
The universality of death and its dance and knowing that it will never say goodbye to me.
Alright William. I always ask these two questions at the end of an interview. The first is. What’s your favorite movie(s) and why?
One of my favorite movies (I have many) is “Interview with the Vampire”, I feel very identified, and it contains great part of my imaginary, in fact this interview could be a lot like that movie.
The second is. What song(s) are you currently listening to the most right now?
Lately I’ve been listening a lot SpaceGhostPurrp’s album – Blackland Radio 66.6.
