This NSFW Controversial Photographer Is Making Nudity No Big Deal
There's likely a specific sensibility that comes to mind when you think of the phrase 'nude [...]
There's likely a specific sensibility that comes to mind when you think of the phrase "nude photoshoot." Maybe your mind goes to a boudoir scene or artfully reclining ladies reminiscent of the old masters.
Probably not part of that mental picture? Naked bodies playing pool, trimming a Christmas tree or walking their dogs. But that's exactly what's depicted in "With and Without", a photo art project imagined by Berlin-based photographer Sophia Vogel.
In an attempt to normalize and desexualize the human body, Vogel takes two sets of photographs. In the first, clothed models engage in mundane, everyday activities. In the second set, the models remove their clothing and return to the same actions.
The result is a thought-provoking introduction to the way that we as a culture view nudity. Not only are these photos divorced from the male gaze, but the photographer's vantage point is entirely nonsexual, presenting nudity as the most natural thing in the world — because, to be honest, it is.
"I love to present nudity in an aesthetic manner without any sexual context," Vogel explained to Vice. "Not every single nude photograph should be linked to sexuality."
Though our culture is prone to equate nakedness with sex, Vogel hopes that her carefully constructed images will help sever the two concepts. "I find it faulty to connect nudity to sexuality instantly," she said.
Her images challenge the viewer to question their own assumptions about nudity and accept it for what it is: just a state of being.