American artist Amaryllis DeJesus Moleski is creating her own myths and future dedicated to brown, queer, femmes.

Cover photo: QUEST (sovereign), gouache, highlighter, and Micron marker on archival paper, by Amaryllis DeJesus Moleski (2016). Via Paddle8.

This article is part of my 30 Living Queer Artists Worth Celebrating in 2019 series. June is Pride Month, commemorating the international gay rights movement that began June 28th, 1969, with the Stonewall riots of New York. 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the event. I’m celebrating all month long!

WARNING: The following article features and/or discusses graphic nudity.

“What is queer femme aesthetic? And how do we begin to visualize ourselves as marginalized people in the future, calling upon ancient, present and future imaginings?” asks interdisciplinary American artist Amaryllis DeJesus Moleski. Prompted by the lack of diverse representation in both Western art and science fiction media, Moleski is rejecting euro-centric ideals in favor of her own future femme myth.

Moleski explains, “It wasn’t just art history, but it was also playing into the politics of aesthetics, what could be discussed rigorously and critiqued. I just got this point where I decided I was only going to draw queer, femme, brown and black people. That’s all it’s gonna be. I’ve kind of evolved past that at this point but it was a really clear decision. Being so hungry for it and deciding I was going to create it.”

Moleski’s work “[reimagines] the world [with] queer femininity as the genesis of all humanity” and what that might look like. Moleski’s women are dark-skinned, full-bodied, unapologetic muses, who are both playful and empowering.

They hold power in their femininity. Moleski notes, “Something I’m interested in is thinking about the feminine as a presentation or a play or a creative force in the world. I, personally, have used hair and makeup and clothes as armor. I feel like our culture diminishes women and those choices are considered unintelligent. Like, “Oh, you wear too much makeup.” Or, “Why are you wearing heels?””

In a departure from traditional fine art, Moleski draws and paints underrepresented people — specifically queer women of color — through the use of materials that are not often found in art museums, like tea, salt, and markers. LGBT culture has been erased and misrepresented throughout history, Moleski is working to create a space where a future for queer people is possible. Through the creation of her work, Moleski is “appointing [herself] historian of this imaginary future.”

To establish her “queer-femme futuristic myth making,” Moleski often appropriates ancient Greco-Roman mythology. Moleski’s work is filled with cyclopean women, Cerberus inspired cats, and celestial objects. Moleski also finds inspiration in alchemy and hieroglyphics. Bones and eyes populate her art — representing ancestry and omnipotence — which serve to suggest the past, present, and future, is intimately connected.

Amaryllis DeJesus Moleski continues to create and inspire. To keep up with Moleski’s latest work, follow her on Instagram! I’m certainly curious to see what she creates next.