This article explores how queer aesthetics can expand our understanding of the sublime to include experiences of difference. By challenging dominant narratives about what is beautiful and desirable, queer aesthetics invites us to consider new ways of perceiving the world around us. Through their use of non-conformist forms of expression, queer artists create spaces for self-expression that challenge traditional ideas of gender, race, class, and sexuality. By embracing this diversity of experience, they open up possibilities for redefining the sublime as an experience of difference.
As philosopher Immanuel Kant famously wrote, the sublime evokes feelings of awe and wonder beyond all thought. It is an experience of something greater than ourselves, something that transcends human understanding. For centuries, philosophers have struggled to explain what makes something sublime, often turning to nature as the ultimate example of beauty. In his essay "What Is the Sublime?", Burke argued that the sublime was a sense of terror before the vastness or violence of nature.
These definitions are rooted in Western tradition and exclude many different perspectives and experiences.
Queer aesthetics offers a more expansive approach to the sublime by centering diverse voices and bodies. Queer art is created from a marginalized perspective, one that challenges dominant norms and creates space for alternative expressions of identity. This includes works that explore themes of intimacy, sex, and eroticism in innovative ways, often using experimental mediums such as video, installation art, or performance. As curator Lucy Lippard writes, queer art is defined by its ability to "challenge and expand" our perceptions of what it means to be human.
By exploring non-normative forms of desire, queer artists invite us to consider new ways of perceiving the world around us. Their work calls attention to how power structures shape our understanding of beauty and desirability, pushing us to question who gets to define those concepts. Through this deconstruction of traditional ideas about sexuality, race, gender, and class, they offer a redefinition of the sublime as an experience of difference.
Visual artist Zanele Muholi's photographic series Faces and Phases depicts Black LGBTQ+ individuals in South Africa, challenging dominant narratives about African identity. The images capture the complexity of black queer life through intimate portraits and provocative poses, creating a sense of both vulnerability and strength. In her work, we see the sublime not only in the vastness of nature but also in the diversity of human experience.
Performance artist Leigh Bowery used his body as a canvas to challenge conventional understandings of masculinity and femininity. His outlandish costumes and performances pushed boundaries of normativity, challenging us to think beyond traditional categories of gender expression. Bowery's work created a space for self-expression that was both playful and political, using drag and camp as tools for resistance against oppressive systems. By embracing the grotesque and exaggerated, he offered a new vision of the sublime as something unsettling and transformative.
By expanding our definition of the sublime to include experiences of difference, queer art offers a more expansive and inclusive approach to aesthetics. Their work invites us to consider how power structures shape our understanding of beauty and desirability, pushing us to question who gets to define those concepts. Through this deconstruction of traditional ideas about sexuality, race, gender, and class, they offer a redefinition of the sublime as an experience of difference.
Can queer aesthetics redefine the sublime as an experience of difference?
Queer aesthetics may provide new ways of understanding the sublime by exploring its relationship with embodiment, power dynamics, and cultural norms. The term "queer" refers to nonconformity to social expectations of gender and sexuality, which can be applied to art and aesthetic experiences that challenge traditional definitions of beauty and awe.