nov 2019 | paper cuts – psaligraphy

the devil’s dance

The Devil’s Dance was created for a friend I made not long after moving to New York, and the piece is rather special for a few reasons. It marks my first commissioned art project; my first time manipulating positive and negative space to incorporate background into foreground (somewhat of a mind-fu*k when conceptualising); my first time adding illustration to the background; and my first visual interpretation of a piece of literature.

The Devil’s Dance depicts the “Devil’s Ball” scene from Mikhail Bulgakov’s whimsical novel, The Master and Margarita. Corinthian columns with draped curtains and a chandelier frame two windows in the devil’s ballroom. A door to Apartment 50 transports the devil’s advocates and Margarita to and from the ball, which is attended by skeletal guests who fall out of coffins. Outside, a naked Margarita paints the night sky and cityscape of Soviet Russia from a bewitched broomstick that disappears into the top-right corner.

I’m incredibly honoured to have received a commission for art that had largely been borne out of leisure and personal enjoyment, and I’m giddy that the artwork has found a happy place in my friend’s office, in the company of a regal Oreo cookie jar.


The Devil’s Dance would fit in a 6in x 9in frame without borders.