‘Uncensored beauty’ goes on display

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GEORGE TOWN: The three black-and-white prints being showcased in the corner of the State Art Gallery in Dewan Sri Pinang here are by no means the main attraction of the current exhibition but they may prove to be the most provocative.

Entitled Faceless Nudes, the prints by photographer Teh Young-Sun capture a lady in the nude in three artistic positions.

It is on sale for RM28,888 each.

Two of the prints are placed on a white background with the model executing poses that stretch and curve the body while another black background print shows the lady bending over backwards in an almost perfectly symmetrical photograph.

Work of art: Teh pointing out the shape of the model’s face in one of the prints.

“In Malaysia, there is still a stigma on nude art because it is seen as perverted or erotic but as you can see from the photos, there is nothing perverted about it,” said Teh, 37, who has been involved in the art scene for about 25 years.

“The images of a nude body are an opportunity to appreciate the full beauty, glory and grace of the human form.

“Despite the photos being digital prints, they have not been retouched in any way and every detail, curve and blemish is there to see,” he said.

“If you feel erotic when looking at them, then that’s you, not the art.”

For the sake of modesty, several strategically-placed red lines have been painted on the glass frames of all three prints.

“It was done at the request of the organiser who felt the public may not be quite ready for the pictures yet.

“However, my hope is that whoever buys any of the three prints will display the photos in their full and uncensored beauty,” Teh said.

He added that the nature of the art made it difficult to approach models for shoots and he hoped to have his own solo exhibition in the future.

“The model in these three prints is a friend and I hope to do two more nude shoots by the end of the year.

“I’ve decided to go back to using film for my nude projects because aside from there being some things lacking in digital prints, film will allow me to be in control of every stage of the photo process from shooting to developing to printing,” Teh said.