PBY - Illustrating BDSM and Youth Culture in Post-Brexit Britain: Luísa Da Costa-Pereira

Luísa Da Costa-Pereira portrays the aesthetics and urges of Bristol youth with illustrations as colourful and quirky as their subjects. An aspiring professional Dominatrix with Portuguese roots, Luísa reflects on the importance of youth culture and sexual liberation through her artworks.

Raised in England by her immigrant mother, 19-year-old Portuguese illustrator Luísa Da Costa-Pereira embodies the pan-European spirit that has moved many young creatives to question themselves and their fellows while coming of age in the uncertain times of post-Brexit UK. Over the last two years, Luísa found an expression in investigating and giving a voice to the eclectic Bristol youth by illustrating the fascinating characters, bursting of joy-de-vivre, who fill her universe. From skater boys and DJs to self-loving queers indulging in BDSM activities, Luísa’s works are a pop sociological compendium of the bold, reckless and adventurous post-Brexit Britain youth.

We spoke to her to discuss her influences and ambitions and, in return, she illustrated an exclusive piece for Post-Brexit Youth.

‘Skate is for Everyone’ - Luísa Da Costa-Pereira

‘Girl Clan’ - Luísa Da Costa-Pereira

Post-Brexit Youth: Your roots are Portuguese, but your work has a strong bond with Bristol. How do you feel as a European citizen and creative in a post-Brexit country?

Luísa Da Costa-Pereira: Growing up, England has never been a place I felt a connection to. I always longed to move back to Portugal, that is until living in Bristol. I had never considered going down a creative path but I met so many people that encouraged me to do so and, for that, I have so much love for the city and the people in it. Being based in Bristol allowed me to do exhibitions, markets and a handful of other opportunities that wouldn’t have fallen in my lap had I not been in the city. Brexit has already affected my work, with commission fees increasing on the platform I sell on. I recently made the decision to move to Lisbon and Brexit means I cannot return to the UK as easily as before, so I’ve had to postpone some commissions that would have been game-changers for me. 

PBY: Your subjects portray an array of young people with detailed references to their style and aesthetics. Do youth scenes contribute to inspire your art?

LDCP: I take an immense amount of inspiration from youth culture, past and present. I believe that the UK's youth scenes hold the beating heart of the country. I draw a lot of my references from ‘90s underground subcultures. The UK Jungle scene, New York subway graffiti, and the Dutch BDSM scene, to name a few. I owe my artistic style to these eras. Bristol contributes massively to my art, by being surrounded by that ‘fuck it’ nature that I try to reflect in my work. The city is alive and the young people want to keep it that way. I have been welcomed into so many different spaces with open arms and can confidently say that this exposure has helped my growth as an artist. Living in a city where I can see different expressions of individuality everywhere I look translates into drawing my characters, giving them that same sense of uniqueness.

‘Pussy Then Skate’ - Luísa Da Costa-Pereira

PBY: Your style is reminiscent of underground illustrations from the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, which seems to be a style matching the aesthetics of contemporary revivals. How did you develop your unique trait?

LDCP: My style improved once I started to engage visually with my other interests. I’ve been into the underground electronic music scene since I was 15, so I started looking at the old event posters and drawing references from them. I also was inspired by documentaries and films about graffiti and made a habit of keeping any flyers, sweet packets or pages from magazines that had illustrations I liked. Most importantly though, I keep all my drawings. Developing my style was, and still is, a consequence of being truly absorbed in the visual world around me. In terms of formal art training, I have zilch! I vaguely understand the colour wheel and I attended one fine art lesson only. However, a lack of formal education has been more of a help than a hindrance in allowing me to have stylistic individuality. I believe that everything is a process of trial and error. Encouraging myself to do things that I know I’ll struggle with is always a surefire way of elaborating on my own style. 

PBY: Looking at your works there are also nods to BDSM culture, which definitely seems to have increased in popularity. Is that something that you find fascinating in relation to youth culture?

LDCP: It’s evident that young people are becoming more and more aware of their own sexuality. BDSM is something that even appeals to those who don’t practice it. The idea of being a dominatrix, for instance, doesn’t need to be about sex. It’s about not taking orders from men and feeling empowered in both masculine and feminine energies. Youth culture is the perfect space for sexual freedom and expression to run wild, so it doesn’t surprise me that BDSM is on the table of pleasures for more of us. It allows you to intimately understand yourself and play, which is something that opposes the directions life is pulling us in most days.

‘Restricted’ / ‘Homemeade Porn’ - Luísa Da Costa-Pereira

PBY: Can you please guide us through your piece exclusively created for Post Brexit Youth?

LDCP: I made this piece with the intention of celebrating the relentless effort being made by young people in the UK to spread unity and love, by whatever means necessary. I've always found it beautiful that so much graffiti is spreading a positive, progressive message despite its reputation for being a menace to society. My piece depicts a group of young women keeping watch while one sprays ‘unite’ on a building, in the background you see mother nature giving them the moonlight to help. As Brexit tightens its grip, I can only hope that our sense of unity can endure.

‘Post-Brexit Youth’ artwork designed by Luísa Da Costa-Pereira exclusively for Synaesthetic Magazine