Mazahir Hussain is a queer, South Asian illustrator. With an educational background in creative writing, he merges visual arts with his love for fairy-tale and mythology to create a romantic representation of brown bodies.

With work centring around tenderness and love, they utilise illustration to explore the inherently queer themes of mythology whilst also attempting to blur the lines between the gender binary. He puts body hair to the forefront of their work, using softer themes to disjoint hair from the aggressive sexuality it seems to be connected with in modern society.

Last year, during the Tate late talks, he outlined the details of their practice and the soul and intention that drives him. They are currently creating a tarot deck of illustrations depicting queer love as well as an illustration art book with publishers TwentyFourThirtySix.

We had the pleasure of talking with Mazahir on the occasion of the 2023 edition of Queer Frontiers as one of this year’s exhibiting artists.

Artiq How does your background in creative writing and your passion for mythology influence your work?

Mazahir Applying a storytelling narrative is essential to my creative process. As much as I enjoy making one of the pieces displaying queer sensuality and beauty, nothing gets me more excited than applying narrative to a piece. It’s a challenge as there’s only so much story you can fit into a piece of visual art. Greek mythology specifically was my first big love, so it seemed natural to combine all the things I care most about to act as the heart of my work.

Artiq You have produced a limited-edition print for this year’s exhibition. What was the creative process behind it and how did the theme Queer Myths, Queer Futures inspire you?

Mazahir Aphrodite’s origin story, of being born a fully grown adult not really from anyone, has always had strong queer undertones to me. I was interested by the idea of delayed adolescence and ‘second birth’ we go through as queer adults, coming to realise who we are at a later age and the trials that bring. Myths in general have been integral to my understanding of who I am and how I love. So it seemed fitting to honour a transcoded epithet of Aphrodite, Aphroditus, and give them a Birth of Venus moment.

Artiq How does your background in creative writing and your passion for mythology influence your work?

Mazahir Applying a storytelling narrative is essential to my creative process. As much as I enjoy making one of the pieces displaying queer sensuality and beauty, nothing gets me more excited than applying narrative to a piece. It’s a challenge as there’s only so much story you can fit into a piece of visual art. Greek mythology specifically was my first big love, so it seemed natural to combine all the things I care most about to act as the heart of my work.

Artiq You have produced a limited-edition print for this year’s exhibition. What was the creative process behind it and how did the theme Queer Myths, Queer Futures inspire you?

Mazahir Aphrodite’s origin story, of being born a fully grown adult not really from anyone, has always had strong queer undertones to me. I was interested by the idea of delayed adolescence and ‘second birth’ we go through as queer adults, coming to realise who we are at a later age and the trials that bring. Myths in general have been integral to my understanding of who I am and how I love. So it seemed fitting to honour a transcoded epithet of Aphrodite, Aphroditus, and give them a Birth of Venus moment.

Artiq Depicting body hair is a fundamental part of your work. In this regard, what would you hope for the audience to take away from your work?

Mazahir I suppose the idea is that body hair doesn’t really need to fit into a hyper-masculine, aggressive sexuality in order to be celebrated. It can be celebrated in white cotton sheets and velvet drapery just as much as in a leather-clad dungeon in a sling.

Artiq How does your work offer a new representation of brown bodies in art?

Mazahir I don’t know about ‘new’, but I like to think that by specifically looking at brown bodies through a lens that celebrates romance and queer love, I try to create a representation that takes all the beautiful elements of orientalist art (which I have a love-hate relationship with), and turn it on itself by depicting figures with grace and agency.