Alec Soth, Las Vegas (2011). Courtesy of Sean Kelly, New York
Excerpts from An Interview With Mona Kuhn
by Elizabeth Avedon
Elizabeth Avedon: What brings you to New York?
Mona Kuhn: I have been invited to curate an exhibition titled “Under My Skin” at Flowers Gallery in New York City. It is a selection of nudes in contemporary photography, with works created mostly in the last five years. The exhibition reflects how we are currently representing the nude through the photo medium.
Aside from photography, I have been an independent scholar at Getty Research Institute since 2000. In the last 13 years, I have been curious about how we humans represent ourselves in works of art, and specifically in nudes, throughout art history - in all mediums.
It is a fascinating subject to me. Trends in art come and go, but the Nude remains a canon of high art, like a shadow we cannot jump away from. My two favorite ways of escaping is to photograph and being a bookworm. The invitation to curate brought both desires together.
Mona Kuhn: I have been invited to curate an exhibition titled “Under My Skin” at Flowers Gallery in New York City. It is a selection of nudes in contemporary photography, with works created mostly in the last five years. The exhibition reflects how we are currently representing the nude through the photo medium.
Aside from photography, I have been an independent scholar at Getty Research Institute since 2000. In the last 13 years, I have been curious about how we humans represent ourselves in works of art, and specifically in nudes, throughout art history - in all mediums.
It is a fascinating subject to me. Trends in art come and go, but the Nude remains a canon of high art, like a shadow we cannot jump away from. My two favorite ways of escaping is to photograph and being a bookworm. The invitation to curate brought both desires together.
MK: Lets face it, curating is a competitive
career. Most curators compete with each other to establish themselves
intellectually in their field. There has been a huge gap in the US for
museum level exhibitions related to the Nude. I am very comfortable with
the theme, it is my second skin. And because it is not my profession
and I am not tied in with an institution, I have the freedom to bring
together works of high and low art that reflect our current culture. The
choices were more emotional and guttural, than academic. I am thankful
for that freedom...(Mona Kuhn is one of the most interesting women in Photography today. Read the entire Interview here)
“Under My Skin: Nudes in Contemporary Photography”
June 20 – August 24, 2013
FLOWERS GALLERY
529 West 20th Street, New York
PANEL DISCUSSION
Moderated by George Pitts with Mona Kuhn, Vince Aletti,
Mariah Robertson and Shen Wei
“The Role of the Nude in Contemporary Photography”
June 18, 2013, 6:30PM
Parsons The New School for Design
Theresa Lang Auditorium
55 West 13th Street, New York
Interview with Mona Kuhn 2011
Interview with Mona Kuhn 2012
June 20 – August 24, 2013
FLOWERS GALLERY
529 West 20th Street, New York
PANEL DISCUSSION
Moderated by George Pitts with Mona Kuhn, Vince Aletti,
Mariah Robertson and Shen Wei
“The Role of the Nude in Contemporary Photography”
June 18, 2013, 6:30PM
Parsons The New School for Design
Theresa Lang Auditorium
55 West 13th Street, New York
Mona Kuhn Interviews
from the Archives of Le Journal de la Photographie Interview with Mona Kuhn 2011
Interview with Mona Kuhn 2012
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