Brandt Botes' 'Obscene Interiors' Erases Sex Acts to Highlight 1970s Décor

South African graphic designer and illustrator Brandt Botes, who co-founded Studio Botes in Cape Town in 2011 with his wife Katherine, created a series of humorous images titled 'Obscene Interiors.' Using photographs from 1970s porn magazines, Botes (occasionally signing as Von Brandis) digitally removed the figures engaged in sexual acts, leaving only silhouettes. This erasure shifts focus to the elaborate interiors—patterned bedspreads, curtains, wallpaper, carpets, shag rugs, tapestries, armchairs, sofas, and cushions—as well as vintage radios and televisions. The resulting images highlight the dated aesthetic of the era, provoking laughter and a sense of temporal displacement. The work was published in Artribune Magazine #34, with text by Ferruccio Giromini.