It is my great honour to be part of this important exhibition organized by CU46 Gallery from Barceona. Below You can read their introduction text for the exhibition. I decided to show chosen paintings from “Mea Vulva” series.
See the exhibition:“Undaunted Nudity” Online Collective Art Show
For almost all known human existence, our progenitors lived in nudity. But at what point it became something shameful and inappropriate. The obligatory concealment of naked barbarians in the name of civilized western modesty led to a sense of body shame, which at the time was an instrument of control over indigenous peoples, but which prevailed for many years until the 21st century.
Nudity wasn’t always a taboo in the Western world. In Greece, for example, the body was considered something very inspiring. Later, Romans also socialized nudity in their Roman baths and nude bodies were a part of pagan ceremonies in pre-Christian Europe. Early Christianity banned pagans’ liberal attitude to the naked body. “Flesh” started to be seen as an evil temptation leading to sin, especially if it was a woman. Absurdity was gained in the 19th Century when even a small piece of the naked body could be considered as inconsistent with society. And sex was allowed only for procreation, not pleasure.
But the dark times are over and we invite you to celebrate “Undaunted Nudity” as the way to liberate the nakedness from taboos and prejudice. Nudity began to return in Western World as a body acceptance movement that offered nudity as an antidote to the repressive extremes of Puritan and Victorian restraints. And CU46 Project is the platform where artists working with the subject of the naked body can have their voice.
Artists presented:
Beata Konarska, Poland | Izosceles, the United States | Kapil Mani Dixit, Nepal | Marta Panzacchi, Italy | Ruth Bircham, UK | Sofia Zuluaga, Colombia (CU46 Project resident artist) | Tamás Kacsák, Hungary | Varvara Esmenova, Russia (CU46 Project resident artist)
