INTERVIEW
Monte Smith, Visual Artist, Poet & Performance Artist
🌍︎ North Carolina, USA
Monte Smith is an internationally acclaimed poet, performance artist, hip-hop journalist, podcaster, mixtape artist, visual artist, civil rights activist, and community-based educator. He is the co-founder of Third World Citizens, Grand Master Flash Drive & The Furious Files, Barefoot Servants, and Muzzle Flash Radio. He also works under the name “MFC” when presenting his visual art. Monte currently resides in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he continues to redefine the boundaries of American culture and thought.
Could you introduce yourself and tell us about your journey as an artist? When did drawing and painting become a serious part of your creative life?
My name is Monte Smith. In the world of poetry and literature, I go by Street Poet Monte Smith. I am a co-founder of the mixtape collectives Muzzle Flash Radio, Barefoot Servants, and Grand Master Flash Drive & The Furious Files. For my visual art, I go by MFC. For as long as I can remember, I’ve drawn faces on my poetry sheets—doodling has always been a part of my process. While my poetry and mixes gained recognition through publishing and performances, my visual art remained private. The poetry and mixes were for the world, but the faces were just for me. However, in November 2025, I decided to share this side of my work and created an Instagram page under the handle @artbymfc.
My name is Monte Smith. In the world of poetry and literature, I go by Street Poet Monte Smith. I am a co-founder of the mixtape collectives Muzzle Flash Radio, Barefoot Servants, and Grand Master Flash Drive & The Furious Files. For my visual art, I go by MFC. For as long as I can remember, I’ve drawn faces on my poetry sheets—doodling has always been a part of my process. While my poetry and mixes gained recognition through publishing and performances, my visual art remained private. The poetry and mixes were for the world, but the faces were just for me. However, in November 2025, I decided to share this side of my work and created an Instagram page under the handle @artbymfc.
What is your educational background? Did you receive formal training in fine art, illustration, or another creative discipline, and what experiences have influenced your development most strongly?
I dropped out of high school in the ninth grade to care for my sister’s children after she was incarcerated for parole violations. As a result, I have no formal training as a visual artist. My creative process was forged through hardship, poverty, and personal trauma.
My early life was marked by intense experiences that led me toward poetry and visual art. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, creating art became my self-taught form of therapy.
I dropped out of high school in the ninth grade to care for my sister’s children after she was incarcerated for parole violations. As a result, I have no formal training as a visual artist. My creative process was forged through hardship, poverty, and personal trauma.
My early life was marked by intense experiences that led me toward poetry and visual art. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, creating art became my self-taught form of therapy.
The human face is a recurring subject throughout your work. What continues to draw you back to portraiture, and what does the face allow you to express?
I believe the first thing most people notice when looking at another human being is the face. To me, the face is like a roadmap—not only of the soul, but also of the distance traveled from experience to experience, regardless of how cruel or loving the journey has been. That is why faces have become the common denominator in my visual portfolio.
I believe the first thing most people notice when looking at another human being is the face. To me, the face is like a roadmap—not only of the soul, but also of the distance traveled from experience to experience, regardless of how cruel or loving the journey has been. That is why faces have become the common denominator in my visual portfolio.
Your portraits move far beyond traditional representation—the faces are fragmented, distorted, and constructed from overlapping lines and marks. How did this distinctive visual language develop?
My visual language was born out of fear and anxiety. As I mentioned, my childhood was very brutal and surreal. When I think back to all the moments that shaped me, good or bad, the expressions on the faces tied to those snapshots are what define those memories most strongly. They stay with me whether I want them to or not. I had to make peace with them, and creating faces is how I keep my end of the bargain.
My visual language was born out of fear and anxiety. As I mentioned, my childhood was very brutal and surreal. When I think back to all the moments that shaped me, good or bad, the expressions on the faces tied to those snapshots are what define those memories most strongly. They stay with me whether I want them to or not. I had to make peace with them, and creating faces is how I keep my end of the bargain.
Eyes are particularly prominent in many of your works and often become the strongest point of contact with the viewer. What significance do eyes have within your portraits?
Yes, eyes are very prominent in my art for three main reasons:
Yes, eyes are very prominent in my art for three main reasons:
- A Signal of Life: Eyes represent the presence of life in a face, regardless of the wear and tear visible on the surface.
- The Artistic Challenge: For me, eyes are one of the most difficult elements to capture when portraying people. While more accomplished artists might disagree, I often feel that something is missing in the way eyes are rendered in many sketches, drawings, or paintings.
- Personal Experience: On a deeply personal level, I was stabbed in my right eye when I was young. Living with this injury has fundamentally changed the way I see the world in a way that only someone with a similar experience could truly understand.
Line seems to function almost as a material in its own right in your work. How do you use density, repetition, direction, and rhythm of line to construct both the image and its emotional atmosphere?
The density, direction, and repetition you see are born out of chaos. The lines balance, and hold the chaos accountable.
The density, direction, and repetition you see are born out of chaos. The lines balance, and hold the chaos accountable.
Your compositions often seem to exist between chaos and structure. Is this tension something you consciously explore, and does it reflect a broader idea behind your practice?
I was recently reflecting on an interview with the famous blues musician Stevie Ray Vaughan. When asked, “When you're on stage playing your guitar, it seems like you leave your body, do you?”, he replied, “When I'm on stage, I'm channeling.” I feel the exact same way with my poetry and visual art. I view myself as a hollow reed through which something much more powerful works. Perhaps it is my ancestors who are truly responsible—blowing the lines, grit, pain, and ink onto the canvas or napkin.
I was recently reflecting on an interview with the famous blues musician Stevie Ray Vaughan. When asked, “When you're on stage playing your guitar, it seems like you leave your body, do you?”, he replied, “When I'm on stage, I'm channeling.” I feel the exact same way with my poetry and visual art. I view myself as a hollow reed through which something much more powerful works. Perhaps it is my ancestors who are truly responsible—blowing the lines, grit, pain, and ink onto the canvas or napkin.
Some portraits appear almost architectural or mechanical, as though the human face has been reconstructed from frameworks, grids, and intersecting structures. Is there a relationship between the human and the constructed world in your work?
I don't focus on making things "pretty." Throughout my life, many of the people I've encountered have shown more ugliness than kindness. It reminds me of the 1970s Rose Royce song "Love Don't Live Here Anymore." Every time I draw or sketch a new face, I am fighting against that ugliness while simultaneously documenting it. My goal is to ensure that the world doesn't forget how dangerous we can be as a species—not only to each other but to ourselves as well.
I don't focus on making things "pretty." Throughout my life, many of the people I've encountered have shown more ugliness than kindness. It reminds me of the 1970s Rose Royce song "Love Don't Live Here Anymore." Every time I draw or sketch a new face, I am fighting against that ugliness while simultaneously documenting it. My goal is to ensure that the world doesn't forget how dangerous we can be as a species—not only to each other but to ourselves as well.
Your figures can feel psychologically intense—sometimes vulnerable, anxious, confrontational, or isolated. Are your portraits based on particular people and experiences, or are they representations of more universal emotional states?
Yes, I consider all of my faces to be psychologically intense, vulnerable, anxious, confrontational, and isolated. I believe that defines the modern individual, even if we are reluctant to admit it. Most people hesitate to voice their true feelings because doing so contradicts the social narrative that life is simply what you make it. Ultimately, I want my art to challenge those who are comfortable, but more importantly, to offer healing to those who feel broken while masking their pain.
Yes, I consider all of my faces to be psychologically intense, vulnerable, anxious, confrontational, and isolated. I believe that defines the modern individual, even if we are reluctant to admit it. Most people hesitate to voice their true feelings because doing so contradicts the social narrative that life is simply what you make it. Ultimately, I want my art to challenge those who are comfortable, but more importantly, to offer healing to those who feel broken while masking their pain.
How spontaneous is your process? Do you begin with a recognizable face and gradually disrupt it, or does the figure emerge organically from an accumulation of lines and gestures?
This connects back to what I was saying about channeling. I draw and write instinctively—I don't have much say in the matter. When I feel the urge to create, which can happen at any time, it feels like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute, hoping to land on my feet with my creative wits intact. I feel anxiety every time I begin a new piece, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
This connects back to what I was saying about channeling. I draw and write instinctively—I don't have much say in the matter. When I feel the urge to create, which can happen at any time, it feels like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute, hoping to land on my feet with my creative wits intact. I feel anxiety every time I begin a new piece, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
Your palette is often restrained, dominated by black, white, and earthy tones, with occasional red, purple, or other color accents. How do you decide when a composition needs color, and what role does it play?
I never know when color will be needed, as I traditionally associate color with feelings of happiness and laughter. However, when I choose to use shades like red, purple, or yellow, my goal is to extract pain and anxiety from them, using those tones to express raw emotion.
I never know when color will be needed, as I traditionally associate color with feelings of happiness and laughter. However, when I choose to use shades like red, purple, or yellow, my goal is to extract pain and anxiety from them, using those tones to express raw emotion.
The repeated marks, crossings, erasures, and overlapping layers give some works an almost obsessive visual energy. How important are repetition and the physical act of drawing to your creative process?
It's everything to me. I have no formal training as an artist; I just do what comes naturally. My process is raw and chaotic. Sometimes when I finish a piece, I feel like I've been in a boxing match. It's heavy, and I often find myself needing to deeply exhale after completing a work. It's hard to explain, but it is life-altering. The lines, marks, and scratches all take a piece from me during the creative process.
It's everything to me. I have no formal training as an artist; I just do what comes naturally. My process is raw and chaotic. Sometimes when I finish a piece, I feel like I've been in a boxing match. It's heavy, and I often find myself needing to deeply exhale after completing a work. It's hard to explain, but it is life-altering. The lines, marks, and scratches all take a piece from me during the creative process.
Which exhibitions, awards, publications, collections, collaborations, or other professional achievements have been the most significant milestones in your career so far?
While I have achieved significant success with my poetry and mixtape series, I am relatively new to presenting my visual art as MFC. This November marks my first full year of publicly exhibiting visual work, and I am excited for the future. The attention my work has received over the past ten months is truly humbling. Opportunities like this interview are a great example of that support, and I look forward to collaborating with anyone who values my vision.
While I have achieved significant success with my poetry and mixtape series, I am relatively new to presenting my visual art as MFC. This November marks my first full year of publicly exhibiting visual work, and I am excited for the future. The attention my work has received over the past ten months is truly humbling. Opportunities like this interview are a great example of that support, and I look forward to collaborating with anyone who values my vision.
Was there a particular work, series, exhibition, mentor, or period in your life that became a turning point and helped you recognize your own artistic language?
My childhood—being stabbed in the eye, and my best friend taking his own life when I was fifteen, leaving me to unfortunately see what remained—serves as the foundational experience behind my work. These moments are like the drawers in my art box that hold my pens, markers, and paint. I never really had mentors because I always felt an overwhelming urge to create rather than glamorize the work of others. Even now, it is difficult for me to watch movies or television, as I am constantly driven by an inner voice telling me to go create something.
My childhood—being stabbed in the eye, and my best friend taking his own life when I was fifteen, leaving me to unfortunately see what remained—serves as the foundational experience behind my work. These moments are like the drawers in my art box that hold my pens, markers, and paint. I never really had mentors because I always felt an overwhelming urge to create rather than glamorize the work of others. Even now, it is difficult for me to watch movies or television, as I am constantly driven by an inner voice telling me to go create something.
What are you exploring in your work now, and how would you like your practice to evolve in the future—through larger formats, new materials, sculpture, installation, collaborations, or international exhibitions?
Regarding the future, I am taking things one day and one face at a time. I have often considered working on a larger scale and would like to explore that idea further.
Since deciding to share my work publicly in November 2025, I welcome opportunities for national or international exhibitions. My motivation is not fame or exposure; creating art is simply something I must do. I am constantly inspired by the faces and poems that fill my thoughts day and night, and I strive to stay true to that vision so I can accurately reflect the true emotions and feelings behind them.
Regarding the future, I am taking things one day and one face at a time. I have often considered working on a larger scale and would like to explore that idea further.
Since deciding to share my work publicly in November 2025, I welcome opportunities for national or international exhibitions. My motivation is not fame or exposure; creating art is simply something I must do. I am constantly inspired by the faces and poems that fill my thoughts day and night, and I strive to stay true to that vision so I can accurately reflect the true emotions and feelings behind them.
Interested in discovering more from this talented artist?
Explore the portfolio, follow new projects, and connect through the link below.
Instagram: @artbymfc333 @muzzle.flash.radio
E-mail: muzzleflashradio@gmail.com
https://soundcloud.com/muzzleflashradio
https://soundcloud.com/grandmasterflashdrive
Explore the portfolio, follow new projects, and connect through the link below.
Instagram: @artbymfc333 @muzzle.flash.radio
E-mail: muzzleflashradio@gmail.com
https://soundcloud.com/muzzleflashradio
https://soundcloud.com/grandmasterflashdrive
Miami, Fl