Sensorial aesthetes Aesop cater to more than the skin and the senses, sharing the transformative power of queer storytelling with Sydneysiders and Melburnians. For the second year in a row, the Aesop Queer Library will return to Sydney in Melbourne, in line with Australia’s 2023 Pride festivities. The signature apothecary-chic glass bottles will be cleared from the shelves of Aesop Sydney and Aesop Collins Street; in their place will be 7,500 books by contemporary Australian and New Zealand authors that celebrate the queer lived experience and creative expression.
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Spanning fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, the volumes were chosen for their expansive view of the queer experience, with over half the titles exploring BIPOC, trans, and gender-non-conforming perspectives.
As was the case with the inaugural launch last year, the selection of 45 titles is comprised of tomes purchased from queer independent bookstores Hares & Hyenas in Melbourne and The Bookshop in Sydney, as well as Allen & Unwin and Penguin Random House. Visitors entering the Aesop Queer Library will be able to take home a book of their choice free of charge, with the Aesop Queer Library running in Melbourne from the 1st to the 8th of February and in Sydney from the 22nd of February to the 1st of March.
Among the 45 titles on the shelves, visitors can expect to find work by bisexual poet and writer Omar Sakr, former international development adviser Shelley Parker Chan, and queer author and artist Mimi Zhu. The works of Chalire G. Coleman, a Noongar writer and poet, and queer activist Nevo Zisin will also be showcased, with the overarching goal of the Aesop Queer Library being to unite and liberate.
“After opening eleven branches of the Queer Library across eight countries and giving away over 34,000 books to visitors in 2022, Aesop is proud to bring the second iteration of the Queer Library to Australia, which will see us share even more stories from the community while providing new opportunities to explore queer creativity in its various forms, from a wide range of voices,” says Nelson Derry, head of culture, diversity, and equality at Aesop.
In tandem with the Aesop Queer Library, the skincare and fragrance brand has donated $100,000USD to two international charities which were selected by the company’s LGBTQIA+ community, Prism, with the donation split evenly between OutRight Action International and All Out. The former works to defend and advance rights for LGBTQIA+ people across the world while the latter turns solidarity into action by guiding individuals and organisations on how to effectively campaign against discriminatory laws and support the community during times of need.
Words by Theo Rosen
