SONIA HENSLER

Erotic illustration | England | she/Her

HOUSE OF THEODORA CHATS TO EROTIC ARTIST SONIA HENSLER

When illustrator Sonia Hensler isn’t working for renowned fashion houses and upscale hotels, she’s sitting at her antique desk, creating kinky and debaucherous scenes that draw inspiration from old palaces and smokey absinthe bars. We asked her about her loves, her creative process and how she juggles mainstream and the erotic.

Can you share your background and how you came to produce erotic art?

I've always been fascinated by certain types of erotic art. Not pornography as such, although I always enjoyed those lavishly-costumed, bigger-budget, period pornos with an attempted storyline that used to get made in Europe, but I'm inspired by films by visionary directors such as Tinto Brass and Pedro Almodovar. Also, The Lover, an excellent erotic film by Jean-Jacques Annaud, is still inspiring to me. I've also always admired Aubrey Beardsley, and his decadent, decorative style and humorous eroticism significantly influence my work.

How does each scene in your art come about and who and what inspires you?

I'm a very visual person and, as I already wrote, take a lot of inspiration from film. Directors that explore taboo and the sensual like Bernardo Bertolucci, Tinto Brass, Peter Greenaway and Paolo Sorrentino spring to mind! They have a lightness of touch and seem unafraid to explore challenging subjects in an effortless, almost whimsical way and have fun with it. Terry Gilliam would probably be another one...

Scenes come to me through an overarching aesthetic or period of time that I am currently interested in. I tend to think of these scenes first and then people them with my characters, who are usually engaged in debaucherous activities.

You work with mainstream companies but also produce very sexy erotica. How do you strike that balance?

It's not easy! Erotic art is still obviously taboo, and many companies do not wish to sully their squeaky clean images by being associated with it. Furthermore, many of my erotic commissions are personal and private by their very nature, so I can't share or promote them via the usual social media channels.

As a result, I try to keep my commercial and erotic work separate (I have two Instagram accounts with my erotic work created under the pseudonym 'La Punani), but occasionally and inevitably, one bleeds into the other!

Who are the people you paint?

More often than not, they are people who commissioned me privately for an erotic portrait. However, I most enjoy combining my fashion-orientated illustration's rich, glamorous aesthetic with strong, provocative erotic elements. My recent adult coloring book 'Casanova Erotica' was the ideal opportunity for me to indulge in this. Set in 18th Century Venetian high society, I had the perfect backdrop to bring my more nefarious ideas to life. Think lavish period costumes, masked balls, wayward nuns, secret societies and a little bit of Satan.

How do you title your erotic art?

Spontaneously and usually with a hint of humor. My husband and I usually have a chat and a bit of a joke and see what comes to us. We just have fun with it….

Do you have any rituals or things you do before you sit down to start working on a new piece?

No strict rituals. I like to surround myself with interesting objects in life, and my desk is no exception. The desk is old, dark and weathered with legs that terminate in large lion's feet. My penis candle and brass high heels are displayed proudly on top. Besides that, I like to put on some loud music and let my imagination run riot!

Do you find it harder to promote and sell work of an erotic nature?

Oh yes! Very hard. It's not everybody's cup of tea, and being an illustrator, my commercial work will probably always be how I pay the bills. As a result, my erotic work can often take a back seat, and I am also limited in how much I can use my more well-known brand of 'Sonia Hensler' to promote it as it might be a turn-off (haha) for big clients that wish to commission me for commercial projects.

We’re hellbent on elevating sexual expression. What do you think is one of our biggest inhibitors to sexual freedom?

As with many taboos, I think ingrained notions can be very damaging and limiting. Speaking as a woman, I believe patriarchal ideas that often stem from the Christain church (certainly in ultra-Catholic Poland, where I am from) and other organized religions make it easy to dismiss women who enjoy and feel empowered by sex and sensuality. They are referred to as 'sluts’ and 'whores’. In this sense, concern over how one is viewed by other individuals and society in general can, and often does, turn into self-denial and becomes an impediment to exploring our deepest desires, embracing our femininity and, ultimately, standing in the way of sexual fulfilment and freedom.

What do you find most rewarding or joyful about life in the arts?

The freedom it affords me to live life on my terms. The freedom to express myself and realize my creative ideas, from thoughts and dreams to physical realization. The freedom to indulge in the glamorous, frivolous, whimsical, and sexual sense of aesthetics makes my heart soar!

If you could invite any five people to dinner (living or past), who would they be?

Dita von Teese, Tinto Brass, B.Bertolucci, Till Lindermann ( Rammstein), Pierre Gagnaire