Since Antiquity, the ‘male nude’ has pretty much taken a back seat – well, there was a notable resurgence during Renaissance – and it’s fair to say it never gained access to the world’s most celebrated museums and galleries as generously as female curves have done. Mendes Wood DM, one of São Paulo‘s leading modern art galleries, modestly aims to set the record straight with a group show that’s entitled Male Nudes – A salon from 1800 to 2021. Intersecting representations of the male nude, the show aims to reflect on the concepts of copy, imitation, image, time, and decline, and as a nod to the Salon des Refusés of 1787 in Paris, a representation of the body that evokes a game of imitation inherent to artistic practice, both in its moral aspect and as a language tool, its impossibility, beauty, and temporality. The show explores several concepts and reflections on nudity, such as ordinary and essential representations in Greek and Egyptian art, the criminalisation of nudity as a Christian tool of power and expansion, the Italian Renaissance, baroque hyper-naturalism, and the vernacular gaze of contemporary photographers.
It would be impossible to dissociate the male nude from the social and thus political representation of masculinity in today’s society. In fact, this association is fundamental in any discussion about body and image. The representation of violent and distorted male superiority and the exercise of male dominance over dissident bodies have been proclaimed as ‘normal’ or ‘natural’ throughout history. Also, the alleged authority of masculinity is closely linked to an idea of sex where ‘real’ men must be sexually ‘potent’ and exude ‘sexual power’. Lacking an accurate understanding of human sexuality, man considers ‘sex’ as yet another tool of power, domination, and control. Therefore, representations of the male body are morally rejected, whilst representations of the female body are seen as natural beauty and an object of ownership and consummation. The exhibition presents a variety of artworks by a wide range of artists, including Gustavo Silvamaral, Robert Mapplethorpe, Fernando Marques Penteado, Jean Cocteau and Tom of Finland (on through Jun 19).
Mendes Wood DM
Rua da Consolação 3368 (Cerqueira César)
01416-000 São Paulo
Telephone: +55 11 30811735
Wed-Fri, 11am-6pm
Sat 11am-5pm
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
