A black and white illustration of three figures and a large creature in a surreal landscape. A person wearing a black mask sits beside a larger, seated figure, while a spindly insect-like creature and a giant white animal look on.

Sexy and somewhat freaky drawings by Bernharda Xilko

Words: Liv Siddall
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Date: 17 April 2015; Work
Illustration

Excuse the pun, but I’m a sucker for penis drawings. Birthday cards, desks, walls, Post-Its, other people’s books, car windscreens: to me the world is but a canvas for penile artwork. Judging by his startlingly extensive back catalogue of sexually charged, penis-infused illustrations, it seems Belgrade-based artist Bernharda Xilko is on the same page. His style is in the same camp as people like Patrick Kyle and Paul Paetzel but comes with a side order of terror, penetration and science fiction. For me, I like the depth of his one-panel cartoons, and how you can stare at it for a while like a saucy magic eye painting, and keep finding things you had missed first time around.

A black and white illustration of three figures in a surreal landscape. Two figures wear astronaut helmets and are positioned around a large, textured sphere containing a floating form. A smaller person kneels in the foreground with their hands pressed together in prayer. — Above
Bernharda Xilko: Untitled

An illustration of three pink figures against a yellow and pink gradient background. A central figure with braided hair leans forward, facing a figure wearing a helmet. — Above
Bernharda Xilko: Untitled

A black and white illustration of several stylised, nude figures with helmet-like heads. One figure sits in the foreground, while another holds a skull and a third clings to a thick rope. — Above
Bernharda Xilko: Untitled

An illustration of two red figures cleaning a window. One figure holds a bucket and a mop, while a smaller figure mops the floor beside them. — Above
Bernharda Xilko: Untitled

A black and white illustration of a textured, stippled figure pointing towards a second, smaller figure. The smaller figure stands with their back to the viewer, looking over their shoulder against a dark, cloudy sky. — Above
Bernharda Xilko: Untitled

An illustration for “Stripburger” featuring a large, textured brown creature with long limbs. The creature interacts with several nude figures who are holding mops and buckets in a room with a brick wall. — Above
Bernharda Xilko: Untitled

An illustration of a figure with a dotted texture walking across a brick background. Above them is a detailed map featuring place names such as “Mladenovac” and “Lajkovac”. — Above
Bernharda Xilko: Untitled

An illustration of a small, pale figure with a round head and stippled skin. They stand before a towering, black silhouette against a white brick wall. Above the frame, text reads “dragi pobratime”. — Above
Bernharda Xilko: Untitled

A black and white illustration of a nude person holding a bucket and a mop. They are surrounded by large, stippled tentacles with eyes, set against a backdrop of a brick wall and horizontal lines. — Above
Bernharda Xilko: Untitled

Further Info

www.bernhardaxilko.tumblr.com

About the Author

Liv Siddall

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Liv joined It’s Nice That as an intern in 2011 and worked across online, print and events, and was latterly Features Editor before leaving in May 2015.

Sexy and somewhat freaky drawings by Bernharda Xilko

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