‘Queering Agwe’
This is the final painting in the Queering Deities series. I was really keen to include a chapter on Vodou in the Queering Deities book as the religion has a unique take on gender and sexuality when it comes to their spirits, the Lwa.
This is Agwe, posed for by Alain Pierre-Louis. Agwe is the master of the ocean and is sometimes depicted as a sea captain. One of his brides is the mermaid La Sirene whilst sometimes he is married to Ezili Freda, a patron of gay men, who is pictured here.
Vodou initiates often undertake a spiritual marriage with a Lwa of a different gender, regardless of their own sexuality.
Alain, a marine biologist and photographer, has always felt close to the realm of the ocean. When he found Vodou and Agwe he realised where this connection came from.
“My connection to Agwe and the ocean only grew from my initiation. Learning songs to Agwe and all the other water spirits has empowered me to move swiftly like a sailboat on the open ocean, through very challenging waters, navigating in several anti-black, anti-queer spaces. My connection has also led me to a spiritual marriage to one of the consorts of Agwe, Ezili Freda, the goddess of love, luxury, and wealth. Living in the southern United States, as a black, queer, male was never easy. I have sinced moved away from ‘the South’ but if it were not for Agwe and the many other lwa that walk with me, constantly assuring me to live in my truth, and remind me of my worth, and prestige, things may have been different.”
Copyright Nic Phillips 2025
Nic Phillips Sacred Art 