House of Theodora chats to erotic artist Noomi Roomi

Can you tell us about your background and how you came to be an erotic artist?

I’m self-taught; I have been painting, drawing, and crafting since early childhood. For me, it was always a healing journey. Art was helping me to deal with myself and my thoughts by channelling my energy into something creative. I was talented and persistent, so it was apparent that I should pursue an art career. Unfortunately, my family is very traditional and borderline religious; they never saw me as a career person and instead would have forced me into an arranged marriage early on.

Thankfully that didn’t happen, and I graduated from Cambridge School of Art with a BA degree in illustration. I got a very conceptual art education that revolved around ideas rather than an aesthetic side of art. That suited me quite well, as I always wanted to go into more social problems such as domestic violence, mental health and sexism because I had a lot to say and thought that art should be useful and pretty. It’s partially why I started doing erotic art — to make a statement that women own their sexuality and bodies, watch porn and masturbate, and have fantasies and kinks.

In the society I grew up in, a woman was just a tool to make babies and look after them. Domestic violence and violence against women and the lgbtqia+ community was considered normal. The culture of violence was strong, so I thought it was essential to fight these narratives and show that women don’t need men to tell them what to do.

Also, I was always curious about human sexuality and the psychology behind sex. How kinks evolve, and how interpersonal relationships develop. Painting from porn movies allowed me to explore this a little. In the beginning, I was painting from movies that were not heteronormative and involved loads of consensual BDSM and fetishes. This was interesting and fun, and I felt like I was finally breaking from all the forced rules a woman like me was supposed to be following. Plus, it correlated with the kinks I had at this time.

How would you describe your art?

For the most part, I’d say it’s intricate erotica and crazy niche sex scenarios done in the traditional watercolour medium.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face as a woman in the erotic art space?

I would say censorship, prejudices and fear of being kidnapped or killed by some religious/psycho creeps. Censorship online keeps my small business from working full speed. For example, Facebook and Instagram, TikTok and even Twitter censor and remove art that depicts sexual scenarios, even though it's stated in their community guidelines that art is permitted.

The companies primarily target women–many people will testify that if you're listed as male in your account settings, your posts get removed way less than when you're a female. That's why many SWERs change their gender on Instagram. Also, all of us have probably seen Instagram pages dedicated solely to disgusting rape porn, and creepy sex posts and these pages rarely get removed. Plus, erotic art gets removed and shadowbanned all the time.

It seems that powerful men prefer to police and punish women, the lgbtqia+ community and minorities, so nobody hears their voice. When I had my Instagram page with over 670k followers, my posts were shown to only 5-7k people and never even got to explore the page. Prejudices against women creating erotica are still strong. Every time I'd post my photo online, I get comments like, "Oh, I thought you were a man".

Also, I have to fear for my safety as there were cases of female bloggers being kidnapped or murdered by their followers. That's why I'm always hesitant about posting photos of myself. Moreover, being an open-minded and sexually liberated female is very frowned upon in my family's religious community; I can't imagine the distress they'll experience if someone finds out. But I guess they'll have to deal with it at some point. Patriarchy only brings misery.

Who are the people that commission art?

They are people who are not afraid to experiment and be open-minded. Some are rediscovering their sexuality through my art, and some want to open up and feel better about their body.

Our own art often helps us process our thoughts and desires. In what ways has your exploration of erotic art helped you in your sexual journey?

Since I came from a strict religious background, most things were forbidden for me to explore, it was as if sexuality didn't even exist for me. I grew up confused and repressed but very curious about everything. Creating erotic art helped me understand myself and others better; it helped me open up and process my trauma. Also, I learned to like my body as it is — looking at so many different naked bodies helped me accept my own.

What do you find most rewarding or joyful about being a woman in the arts?

Seeing other women enjoying your art and finding it helpful to heal is very rewarding. Women message me to say that my art has helped them to accept their kinks and see the beauty in sex. This makes me happy; it's the best part.

Let’s talk about censorship because you had your Instagram deleted with a following of 670,000. How does this impact you as an artist?

I'm in a dreadful situation right now. It's disgusting that an artist can spend many years building their audience and their small business page, making professional connections, and communicating with clients on a platform that won't even think twice before deleting their page for a stupid reason.

I started my page when I was still in university, seven years ago, and I lived with my parents back then. I'm living on my own in a foreign country in the world's most expensive city, and losing my whole income overnight is very painful.

As an artist, I feel like all of the hard work and time invested in the platform was for nothing. I'm at square one, and it's discouraging. It feels like there is no point in even trying anymore.

Let’s move on to pleasure. What does it mean to you?

Pleasure helps us to forget who we are and escape. Or to finally find ourselves for a moment. Pleasure is necessary.

What are you currently working on?

As someone who probably has ADHD, I'm currently working on multiple things simultaneously but nowhere near finishing any of them. I'm working on new merchandise— it's not going to be directly related to erotica but more related to curvy ladies who embrace their sexuality. At the same time, I plan to work on a little autobiographical project, a graphic novel, about an abusive relationship I was in. I think it's important to talk about these things. Also, I'm trying to come up with new erotic merchandise like ceramics, tapestry and other things.

If you could dine with 5 people – living or passed – who would they be?

I’d dine with my friends. I haven’t seen them for ages, and with the ongoing war in Ukraine, I'm not sure I’m going to see them any time soon.