Nakedness, Naivety, Human Being; Solo exhibition by Tseng Po-Jen

Shallow Beauty of Human Senses In Ways of Seeing, John Berger said, “Nakedness reveals itself. Nudity is placed on display.... The nude is condemned to never being naked. Nudity is a form of dress. Men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at."

Published in 1972, this classical critique of arts mentioned the meaning of “nudity” revealed in the process of being watched. It reminds me of Art Nouveau in the late 19th century that the pure sense of beauty of slender curves the sexy figures of females satisfied retinal pleasure of male viewers at that time: a perfect illustration of John Berger’s ways of seeing. To me, who was born and raised in a considerably conservative family background, I am instinctively attracted by nudity as a male/viewer. As of now in 2014, “nudity” is emphasized as a skin-like color – shallow, thin, and transparent. Fresh and pure colors such as flesh, white, light pink belong to this category. This partly revealing and partly concealing nudity emits a kind of shy and sexy charm and displays a kind of childlike naivety. In my opinion, this image not only satisfies the viewer’s retinal pleasure but also enhances his self-esteem. What interests even more is the question: Does the relationship between the viewer and the viewee actually exist as indicated by John Berger? Or more simply put: Man/Woman dresses herself/himself up for whom she/he likes. In this exhibit, I intend to crystalize the imagination of Nakedness‧Naivety‧Human Being as a male view/creator. The works illustrate shallowness and superficiality, in which the subjects subconsciously demonstrate certain behavioral state. On the one hand, my senses are pleased by creating; on the other hand, the exhibit ironically raises a meaningless and shallow question about “nudity,” thereby creating a kind of sensual beauty of “nakedness.”