As an artist deeply inspired by history, nature, and identity, I often find myself drawn to visual languages that transcend words. For me, queer aesthetics are not only about bold statements — they’re about whispers, glances, codes, and botanical metaphors that speak across time and silence.
One of the artworks where I’ve consciously embodied this is “Vita & Virginia” a tribute to the deeply intimate and intellectual bond between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West. Their story, a blend of literary brilliance and emotional defiance, is echoed in the intertwined hands and mirrored faces of the figures in the piece. It's not a literal portrait, but a symbolic composition — they’re surrounded by an ecosystem of symbols: florals, spirals, vines — all inspired by the language of flowers.
See my queer aesthetic poster "Virginia & Vita"
Floriography: Love, Secrets, and Queer Expression
In the Victorian era, floriography, or the symbolic meaning of flowers, became a discreet yet powerful way to communicate sentiments that couldn’t be spoken openly — especially within queer relationships. Women would gift each other specific blooms as a gesture of desire, love, or devotion. The meanings were carefully chosen:
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Violets, for instance, became widely associated with sapphic love, especially after Sappho, the ancient Greek poet, mentioned them in her poetry. Violets were later worn by women in the early 20th century as a quiet symbol of lesbian identity.
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Green carnations, though more commonly linked to gay male identity via Oscar Wilde, also played into broader queer symbolism.
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Lavender has long been associated with queer identity — the color became a symbol of resistance and pride in later decades.
I use florals in many of my works not merely for aesthetic beauty, but because they carry these coded histories. In “Vita & Virginia” the flowers are protective yet blooming, wrapping around the lovers like a soft shield. There’s no need for overt statement — the botanical world does the speaking.
Books, Portraits, and Hidden Codes
Throughout history, queerness has been signaled in quiet, thoughtful ways — especially through visual art. In 19th-century portraiture, women depicted with books often hint at not just intelligence, but intimacy, reflection, and interiority. The “lady with a book” trope, especially when paired with another woman in a similar pose, often served as a visual metaphor for hidden emotional or romantic bonds.
Similarly, in contemporary queer aesthetics, people continue to use everyday decor — wall art, books, candles, florals — to create spaces that feel like coded affirmations of identity. I think of it as a reclamation of both domesticity and sensuality.
Queer Aesthetics as Home Language
In my own space and art, I see visual choices as a form of quiet revolution — a language of selfhood. To place a sapphic-themed artwork in one’s room isn’t just decor — it’s a love letter to oneself or a kindred spirit. Whether it’s botanical symbolism, color palettes, mirrored figures, or the use of paired elements, I believe queer visual storytelling can be both gentle and radical.
I also feel that aesthetic joy — the choice to fill your walls with color, softness, or surreal symbolism — can be an act of queer joy and tender resistance. That’s why I include motifs like mirror images, touch, and floral intertwining — because these elements allow space for interpretation, fantasy, and self-recognition.
