Lunchtime Lectures: The Strange Queerness of Aubrey Beardsley

This lecture, lead by writer, presenter, and performer Holly James Johnston, delves into the strange queerness of Aubrey Beardsley. His work was highly controversial in his own time, and the worlds he created in black and white continue to provoke, disturb, and intrigue today. 

 

His work is populated by strange mythological creatures that defy categorisation and androgynous figures that stand in uncertain relation to one another. In so many of Beardsley’s works, he creates alternative worlds that feel like stepping into unchartered territory. There is something distinctively uncanny about his work, as if nothing is quite how it seems.

Holly James Johnston is a writer, presenter, and performer, whose work brings art, history, and literature to audiences in playful and creative ways. She has presented short films for Tate, The National Gallery, V&A, and The National Trust, and recently created a history podcast series in the style of a road trip titled ‘Into That World Inverted’. Alongside her creative projects, Holly is currently reading for a DPhil in English at the University of Oxford. Holly also performs as a drag king under the name Orlando, and unruly dandy with foppish hair and a painted face.