beneath the surface with Nikita Fitzpatrick

The sun has set beneath the horizon — now we’re going beneath the surface.

Beneath The Surface is an interview series that explores the less seen (and sometimes buried) side of creativity — the emotions, the ups and downs, the self-doubt, and, of course, the vulnerabilities.

Please note: the following video may be distressing for some viewers. The video features stories of deceased First Nations people and addresses themes of death, drug abuse, and self-harm. Please find support resources at the bottom of this page.

It’s 8.30am and Tim and I are in the van on route to LANTANA Space. Nikita has a studio here, so we thought it would be a nice place to start. It’s pretty ad hoc, as per.

We arrive at LANTANA where we are met with warm hugs and wide smiles. We’ve known Nikita for a while now. Initially, we met through the arts-circle up here, then we become colleagues, now it’s a little more simple — we’re simply friends.

We grab a coffee down the road and sit for a while. Just chatting the usual stuff: commissions, family, Horizon Festival, chihuahuas, this weekend’s exhibition, and then we speak of death. The conversation takes a new route.

Over the next two hours, we revisit some of Nikita’s darkest memories. We speak of life, death, addiction, and essentially how all of it — as painful as is was — has led to a bright life, full of love, creative freedom, self-awareness, and new breath.

This story is raw. It’s dark. It’s light. It’s honest. It’s painful. It’s traumatic. And it’s beautiful. All at once.

This is Nikita’s story, in her own words.