In a quiet, curtained room, a young girl stares into a mask. This is the setting of Amn3siia’s “SCP-035”, where the reader is left to ponder the nature of the piece and what it says about the famous 035.

The scene is lit from above, and in the foreground ornaments hang and glisten from thin threads that snake across the room. Flowers lay on the floor at the girl’s feet, tossed as if onto a stage. The hem of her victorian dress is lined with face, some comedic and some tragic, and hands reach towards her, fingers outstretched.

The whole piece portrays the struggle between identity and annihilation - anyone who wears the mask loses themselves as the mask takes over. There is the direct representation in the girl holding the mask, and the indirect in the scenery around her - the hands, the flowers, the stage. The mask is powerless without her, but by stealing her body can assume her part in the narrative. The mask can take her place on the stage.

Interpretations aside, Amn3siia’s piece has style. The use of shading under the bright light above is beautiful, and contrasts well with the darkness behind the curtains. Hanging ornaments closer to the viewer appear blurred, while those further away fade into the background. The color is scant - only shades of greys and light reds, but their presentation is almost dreamlike. The subject of the piece, the mask itself, is only barely visible, but its effect on the piece is palpable.