Denver-based British illustrator Sofie Birkin marries erotica with spiritually in an irresistible fashion with the release of her beautiful new Erotic Tarot deck. 

One of the beauties in this latest piece of Birkin’s work is her evolution. If we look at her work from 18 months ago – portraits such as ‘Intimacy’ and ‘Beauty Queen’ – we see how she has maintained her unique style but evolved her use of colour, space and shape. 

Another lovely element is the broad definition of erotica. Erotica in Birkin’s case doesn’t always explicitly translate to sex but themes such as spirituality, imagination and dreaming play key roles. 

On the portrait “Emperor” Birkin depicts a trans-masc person “because I wanted to convey a really seductive, non-toxic masculinity. They’re in control, but they’re not controlling” she told Its Nice That last month. 

“The Devil” depicts a dominatrix who dominates, sure, but in other ways is Madonna-like. Two masculine figures kneel and hold her ankles and her body appears soft, warm and safe. In this way, Birkin beautifully depicts the truth behind sexual fetishes – creating a safe space of vulnerability and risk, a beautiful juxtaposition of adult and childlike desire.