Twinks, baby dykes and proud bottoms: Stef Mosebach’s horses are here to deliver some queer joy

As a child, Stef Mosebach loved horses. But, growing up, Stef’s parents didn’t have much money, and so the passion was hard to follow. “I hung out at the riding stable, but most of the horse girls were quite mean,” says Stef, “so I stayed away at some point.” Despite this exclusion, Stef’s love of animals never really decreased. These years of affection have now resulted in the brilliant Queer Horses, a series of typographic collages of the stallions and ponies emblazoned with queer slang, from those well popularised, ie. ‘twink’, to some less well trodden: enter ‘pillow princess’.

Based in Hamburg, Stef first dabbled in design through time spent in the hardcore punk and DIY scene. “I was fascinated by the aesthetics of records, flyers, fanzines, and merch,” says Stef. “I came up with my own art zines and played in bands.” Later applying to study graphic design, Stef went on to a career in art direction, until encountering illustration and drawing, which fast became the artist’s creative mainstay, and Stef has now been a freelance illustrator for ten years.

So, why horses? “Horses seem to be something that people either love or deride,” says Stef. “As a queer person, that’s a well known reaction and experience. So I had the idea to combine the two things and make something fun and beautiful out of it. It is funny, but empowering at the same time.” You might also be wondering where Stef sourced such a wide array of pictures of horses... well, the place where all weird and wonderful things are found: eBay. Stef regularly trawled the site for old images of horses, and every time someone was selling a batch of 50 or more, Stef would snap them all up.

Then began a process of research, with Stef looking to compile various terms from the queer community, learning a lot of new ones on the way. “Then I picked a term and went through the photos until I saw one that matched,” Stef says. “Sometimes it was an intuitive pick, at other times there is “objective” criteria (e.g. dog next to horse equals pup play).” When each horse had a term, Stef then began considering layout, and what each font should look like, before making sketches, refining, and then transferring to adhesive foil. “I really enjoyed the analogue work,” says Stef. “After type class in art school I swore that I would never cut out letters with a scissor again, but 15 years later it is not only fun, but turns out to be my favourite way of working with type.”

A few of the pieces stand out to Stef, like Them, “I really like the type,” Stef says. “And it sparks some self-irony when it comes to pronouns. (Though I know that pronouns and public discourse are very important).” Another is Twink, less for the type, and more for the pointy, baby pink stiletto boots that adorn each of the cat-walking horses’ four hooves, achieving what Stef most wants for the project – to make people laugh and spread a little joy. And now, you can spread some queer joy too, as Stef’s turned the series into a book of postcards, ready to be dished out accordingly to friends, family and maybe even lovers (past and present) too.