editor’s letter
Hi Everyone
Welcome to our final volume in the ‘Nude, Naked and More’ Issue of Musée. In this volume, we delve
ever deeper into the world of nudity in photography, exploring how the photographic lens can strip
back the human form. We examine both the male and female form as well as scrutinizing and challenging
the ideas, assumptions and ideologies that surround them. This issue demonstrates the way
nakedness and nudity can be both beautiful and challenging, poetic and controversial – often all at
the same time.
Nobuyoshi Araki’s extraordinary and prolific career has had its share of controversy: here he continues
to push the boundaries of photography by capturing images of women in bondage, forcing the
viewer to confront his own perceptions of freedom, power, innocence and beauty.
Shen Wei creates a revealing series of self-portraits through which he allows the viewer to glimpse the
artist’s personal journey of self-discovery and self-reflection, baring both flesh and introspection.
Vince Aletti grants us a stunning contrast by granting us access to his collection of male nudes from a
previous era: plucked from flea markets and antique stores, all his images are found photograph. In
so doing, he allows us to see how perceptions and representations of the male body have evolved
over time.
Taking us deep into the world of prostitution in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Malerie Marder creates
beautiful compositions of female nudes. Marder confronts our conception of contemporary prostitution
by presenting these women as both strong and feminine, erotic and stoic.
Andres Serrano provides us with intimate studio portraits, exposing the human body in all its variety of
shape and form, creating a stark vulnerability in his subjects as well elucidating their inner character.
Kembra Pfahler is a performance artist and musician with a raw, unique style. In her provoking selfportraits,
she subverts the viewer’s traditional conception of femininity by completely transforming her
own body and presenting a provocative new persona.
Through her photographic collages, Linder Sterling juxtaposes images of female nudes with pictures
of animals and appliances. In so doing she suggests the objectification of the female body through
mass media and consumer culture.
Continuing our exploration of feminine nudity, Canan develops her dialogue with the role of the female
body in art history. By presenting images of herself reminiscent of works of master
(continued on page 5)
Andres Serrano, “Dirty Martini”