The fifth volume of Ink is my Blood showcases Apollonia’s work from 2019 and 2020, and includes an insightful introduction by Anthony Byrne, the acclaimed film director of Peaky Blinders and In Darkness.

Of Volume 5, Apollonia writes ‘My primary intention with this new chapter of Ink is my Blood remains the same as when I started this almost five years ago – to share with you. I have discovered that showing my work is more important than I imagined, and I feel that these books are more needed than ever, as since I started posting my work censorship has been imposing ever stricter rules. Like many other talented artists, it is getting harder and harder for me to present most of my drawings on social media in their entirety or without mutilating them.’

Like many Saintclair followers, Byrne found her online work while on his smartphone ‘scrolling through my own nascent curiosity in the darkness and perversion of my psyche – and there they were.’ He goes on, ‘We are all perverts, and we all have a fascination with sex and the darker aspects of oneself and I suppose there has to be a sense of danger, the unknown, a transcendental feeling of escape within that act. Apollonia articulates that in her art. She gives you a loaded pistol, and with each pull of the trigger she explodes these pornographic snap shots of what could be a lived experience or a fantasy of something that is desired in your life. if you’re discovering Apollonia’s work for the first time and have mustered the courage to pick up this book, then stop reading it, walk to the counter, buy it, take it home, and discover a new world, a new kink, a new perversion, a new fantasy. They are within you already. Let her set you free.’

To find out more about Ink is My Blood Volume 5, including how to order it and associated prints and offers, Apollonia’s project site is here.