There’s a white horse, a masked figure, a woman in thigh-high boots and a whole lot of leather. Welcome to XXXistential, a new series by Dublin-based visual artist Susannah Appleby.
Working across analogue photography, darkroom processing and moving image, Appleby explores power, identity and desire through the lens of Queer Kink and BDSM.
At the heart of XXXistential is a trio: a bisexual Femdom, her submissive and Queenie, a very majestic white horse. Set against the Irish landscape, the series draws striking parallels between equestrian culture and BDSM: leather, reins, whips, boots, rituals and, above all, power.
Shot on medium format and processed entirely in the darkroom, the photographs feel intimate, theatrical and just a little surreal.
Rather than simplifying Queer Kink into a single aesthetic or narrative, Appleby embraces its complexity, agency and freedom.
Leather, fantasy, power and a white horse? We’re listening.
XXXistential, 2026
Art Direction, Photography, Darkroom Processing & Scanning: Susannah Appleby @___.susannah.___ – https://susannahappleby.myportfolio.com/
Models: Mistress J, sub b
Horse: Queenie
