Derek Serra outed as D'Angelo

IN WHAT must come as a surprise for many nude artists, a Cape Town photographer, Derek Serra, has announced that he plans to take naked photographs in the city as part of "an exhibition of D'Angelo". Exactly who or what D'Angelo is, remains a mystery, however according to Media 24, an often hysterical news site, D'Angelo is now "an Italian photographer, well-known for his photographs of nude subjects." and not the international pop singer as some would suppose.

Previous media installments from international tabloid company, The Independent Group, have painted a picture of a "public nudity spectacle" with massed groupings of naked Capetonians enjoying the summer weather without any clothing at all. However, after initial hopes that this would mark a breakthrough for the pent-up frustrations felt by many citizens still forced to wear clothing by a fuddy duddy local government and imprisoned by less than common sense in the mother of all conventions, such hopes could be dashed and the bid could turn out to be nothing more than a hoax.

Are we still stuck in fashionable business suits that have become de rigeur attire in the terribly trendy Cape Town, pretending to be artists involved with public nudity? "At best the whole thing is a publicty stunt that that will do nothing but drop ones shorts in the muck," that's according to one art critic who should know." We beg to differ and hope something more edifying comes of all this talk. Will Capetonians bare all, or simply forget to put on their clothing this summer? The Naked Artist Blogsite will keep you updated and we can only hope that the city that gave us beaches like Sandy Bay has something more risque up its err, lets just call it a sleave and leave it at that.

Here's that strange missive from Media 24 again:

Capetonians to bare all

Cape Town - A handful of Capetonians are willing to pose in the nude for photographs soon.
Cape Town photographer Derek Serra plans to take nude photographs in Cape Town to form part of an exhibition of D'Angelo, an Italian photographer well-known for his photographs of nude subjects.
The exhibition is entitled Nude World and will be held in 2007. Serra's photo project will start on September 20. The local photographer decided that South Africa simply had to be part of this exhibition. "There are already 40 people who are interested - most of them male," Serra said on Sunday.
"Maybe South African women are still a bit conservative for such photos?"
The photographs will show individuals going about their ordinary business in the nude.
Serra said ever photo tells a story and symbolises "freedom".
The project will take two months to complete.
http://www.news24.com/News24/Backpage/HotGossip/0,,2-1343-1344_1765241,00.html

Is D'Angelo for Real?

Doubts as to the veracity of claims by local artist and photographer "D'Angelo to have "taken pictures of hundreds of kaalgat South African citizens in New York, London and Berlin" have begun to emerge. In fact the man who calls himself "D'Angelo" aka Michelangelo could turn out to be a fraud and the project a hoax perpetrated by the Independent Tabloid company.

A recent "sexclusive" in Cape Town's Daily Voice carried photographs of work by Spencer Tunick next to D'Angelo's name. The attempt to pass off the notorious works of public nudity as the work of another artist have drawn eyebrows and criticism from some quarters. After numerous phonecalls and messages to D'Angelo were left unanswered, The Naked Artist blogsite decided to dig a little deeper and assess for itself whether or not the project is phoney.

As it turns out, D'Angelo's press release doesn't mention public nudity but rather a project involving nude photography "in the comfort of ones own home". A far cry from the public exhibitionism promoted by various tabloids and genuine naked artists such as Tunick. Does this mean local artists are too afraid to expose themselves to the elements these days, or are shirking back from the risks involved in offending laws governing public decency?

The Naked Artist challenges D'Angelo to strip down to his promise of showing Cape Town "warts and all" in the run-up to Nude World 2007

Nude Cape Town photographic stunt

Imitating predecessors such as Spencer Tunick, artist/photographer D'Angelo says he will be in Cape Town in September 2005 on an unusual assignment. Apparently he will be photographing ordinary Capetonians in their homes and workplaces - and they'll be naked! We couldn't have wished for more, well, perhaps that his subjects won't be all white like so many previous nude art happenings. Come on people, get some rainbow colour in there before we all have to use black and white photography to hide the pimples on your buttocks.

"Nude Cape Town" claims to be a photographic project which "aims to portray Capetonians from all walks of life in their "natural" state for a photography exhibition". The photographer is looking for people interested in being photographed for this "warts-and-all" portrayal of the people of Cape Town from 20 - 30 September. "From housewives to businessmen, students to professionals, young and old - all Capetonians are invited to be photographed for this exhibition."

Their nude portraits will join "nude portraits of people from London, Paris, Rome, New York, Amsterdam and Moscow in an international exhibition entitled "Nude World" planned for 2007." We can only hope this is all true and not a cheap stunt by conservative daily tabloid company, Independent Newspapers.

Capetonians wishing to volunteer as models for the D'Angelo project can expect to receive a signed print of their nude portrait from the artist as well as exposure to some of the more naked elements of society. Need we say more?

Call 082 5544315 and leave contact details with the local co-ordinator.

ED: Are there any genuine naked artists out there that we should know about? Want to be famous? Need to express your inner demon to the outside world? Email us with details of your local Naked Art Happening and we will endeavour to provide you with, ah, lets just call it coverage.

Statement by Spencer Tunick on public nudity and art

Sometimes I feel like I am an explorer,
sometimes I feel like I am a criminal,
sometimes I feel like I am an artist.
I create my work under very stressful conditions.
While a lot of work done by contemporary artists
is very controversial,
I feel that my nudes are not controversial.
The controversy lies in the fact thatI am using the city as my landscape.
The conditions in which I create my work
are tense, crazed and unpredictable.
My models are urban adventurers.
I assist them in seeing the world in a different way.
I create dreams and I create memories
that they will hold with them forever.
Spencer TunickMay 30, 1997

(from http://www.thebluedot.com/tunick/)

Unrepentant protestor arrives at court naked

An environmental protester facing indecent exposure charges arrived at Auckland's District Court naked -- but dressed before he entered the courtroom on Thursday.

Computer technician Simon Oosterman (24) was charged during the Auckland Naked Bike Ride last Sunday, an event he organised to protest society's dependence on the car.

When Oosterman was stopped by police during the naked bike ride, other protest riders covered the lower parts of their bodies to avoid arrest.

Oosterman and three supporters -- two men and a woman -- stood outside the courthouse naked on Thursday holding a banner reading: "Stop indecent exposure to vehicle emissions."

He then went inside and headed up the escalator, still naked, toward the courtroom.

But he donned his clothes before entering court, where he pleaded not guilty and was released to reappear on March 21.

Outside court Oosterman said he would fight the charge as public nudity was "different from indecent exposure."

"The purpose of the protest was to draw attention to the issue of transport emissions," he said.

"There has to be a distinction between people flashing [nude bodies at] young girls and public nudity, which is benign," he added.

Oosterman said he decided to dress before entering the court room because he didn't want to risk being charged with contempt of court.

A senior sergeant of police who saw the defendant travel naked up the escalator "told me he was grateful I got dressed at the top," Oosterman said. - Sapa-AP

Safe haven for naked yoga

September 23, 2004, 15:45
Nudists, grab your yoga mats and head for San Francisco.

City prosecutors say it is not illegal to perform naked yoga in the city -- even at the crowded tourist destination of Fisherman's Wharf.

Prosecutors dropped charges against a limber nudist, known locally as the "Naked Yoga Guy," who made a habit of striking yoga poses in the buff in order to promote a book and his lifestyle.

The Naked Yoga Guy, whose name is George Monty Davis, had stripped to stretch near Fisherman's Wharf, prompting a public complaint. But prosecutors decided they had a weak public nuisance case against him because local laws do not bar public nudity.

"Simply being naked on the street is not a crime in San Francisco," said Debbie Mesloh, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office. - Reuter

Public Nudity Web Sites

Nude in Public
http://www.nude-in-public.tv/

Naked Protestors
http://www.nakedprotesters.com/

Naked Activism
http://www.sfheart.com/naked_for_peace.html

David Robert Lewis and Candice Breitz's Mandala's 

David Robert Lewis at the South African National Gallery, 1997 

David Robert Lewis naked at the SANG, 1997

David Robert Lewis at the South African National Gallery, 1997 

David Robert Lewis at the South African National Gallery 1997 

Taboo on Campus - "semi-naked artist"

NUX of March 2005 reports:

http://www.google.co.za/search?hl=en&q=%22david+lewis%22&meta=cr%3DcountryZA

Go Naked for a Sign -- Hakim Bey.

When anarchist writer Hakim Bey, wrote the phrase "Go Nake for a Sign" he might not have realised that artists would take him seriously. As an avid reader of his seminal tract, "The Temporary Autonomous Zone", I soon discovered a new poetics of the body that translated into the immediacy of a situationist uprising outside of the South African National Gallery in 1997.

However my career as a naked artist began really as a child. I was simply born naked and refused to put on my clothes. In fact my family who were into fashion, were always telling me to put something nice on. I refused. Finally after years of being suppressed and victimised by well-healed acolytes of the establishment, I disrobed outside of Cape Town's monument to apartheid arts, culture and planning. Of course there was also Tracy Rose, ensconced indoors, inside a glass box, and David Blaine, suspending himself much later over the Thames.

Various experiments with public nudity have occured recently, some like the Selfridges Naked ART show by New York Born artist Spencer Tunick, involving masses of nude people.

Travelog of a naked artist in Japan

This drama is based on a true story of Kiyoshi Yamashita, a genius artist who died in 1971 at age of 49, who was called "Japanese equivalent to van Gogh." It has become one of the most popular series since the first episode was broadcast in 1980, and over 80 episdes have been aired so far. At age of 12, Kiyoshi Yamashita was taken into a protective institution for intellectually handicaped people. He learned 'Harie' there and his unique talent came out. In a few years, he had improved him skills excellently enough to be admired by the top-class artists. As he became famous, he got out of the institution and started wandering all over Japan wearing a sleeveless undershirt only. He left a lot of wonderful work wherever he went. This series describes some interesting episodes in each place he goes, his likable personality, and heartwarming encounter with local people through his diary and Harie.

http://www.jdorama.com/drama.427.htm

The Naked Art Movement

We will be publishing links and information on the growing global movement surrounding Naked Art.