Book mock up square format prior to designer input by xxx Jojo

PLAYTIME #01.

Nudes by jojo

2022

“Nakedness is a mark of material reality; whereas nudity transcends that historical and social existence, and is a kind of cultural disguise.” Nead Lynda (1992): 16 The Female Nude: Art, Obscenity and sexuality London, Routledge

Dedicated to my major patrons: my brother and my wife

With continuing respect and gratitude to all my creative collaborators who choose to work with me, both in front and behind the camera and apologies to those sitters that didn’t make it into the nal book this time.

Limited edition of 90 copies (with 10 Artist proofs)

Figs. 1/ 2/ 3

I came to photography late, waiting until I was 32

With hindsight I can now appreciate that I had set

before picking up my rst camera back in 1996.

myself a pretty steep challenge because many viewers

However, from that moment on, I was hooked,

nd naked portraiture di cult to engage with, it:

particularly enjoying three genres within the medium: portraiture, self-portraiture and naked portraiture. I

remains an odd and surprising idea. Portraits have

continue to make projects on the rst two but after

tended to depict their sitters’ public selves. They

more than 20 years, (several books and countless

re ect the ways people project themselves… Yet

exhibitions, including a solo-show in Plymouth

nakedness seems intrinsically private. Most people

Museum and Art Gallery), my fascination with naked

would be horri ed at the thought of strangers

portraiture ebbed about ve years ago.

contemplating pictures of them in a state of undress. *2

What exactly is naked portraiture? Interestingly I never had much di culty nding people These works incorporate the familiar conventions of the portrait genre.. Yet the images also possess a

willing to get naked in the name of art, (originally nding me through notices in cafes, libraries etc, and

documentary or anthropological aspect. We are invited

latterly through open call-outs on social media). From

to scrutinise people who inhabit places or cultures

the start I was happy to work with anybody who

alien to the typical art gallery spectator. *1

presented themselves, regardless of their body shape, ethnicity, sexual preference etc. There is no body-

For me, the nudity was only ever one element of the nished portrait, the others being: the setting the

fascism in my practice. But, whilst I had a seemingly never-ending supply of participants, those willing to

photograph was made in, (usually the subject’s home

buy my books or engage in my exhibitions were far

or a favourite location), the pose they adopted

fewer and more reticent.

(usually arrived at through collaboration), and the accompanying text they provided, (latterly about how they felt about their body). All of these elements came together in my quest to get to the heart and soul of

ffi

who I was photographing.

INTRODUCTION

My naked portraiture projects can be seen in

One of the things that separate us from animals is that

comparison to Diane Arbus (with her nudist camp

minute, momentary distance between I and my body.

pictures), Boris Mikhailov’s 1998 CASE HISTORY

The body is the form to which we must relate and the

photographs, as well as to a lesser extent work such

vessel that carries us through life. The body is the

as DEMOCRACY made by David Bailey in 2005, or the

house of the self, the dwelling of the soul. But the

almost identical approach of Katy Grannan, with her

body can also be our prison and our burden. I, and my

2005 book, AMERICAN MODELS and Greg Friedler’s

body. In between the two is a gap lled with riddles

NAKED LONDON produced in 2000.

and secrets, darkness and promise. Out of that gap or incision, or wound, grow songs and stories, religions,

Although, I no longer have the compulsion to make

dreams and discoveries. *3

naked portraits, I have not ended my relationship to the human form and am con dent, the variety of

Photographing nudes is not without controversy, for a

approaches I take in this book, will not be my last

start pornography, like beauty is in the eye of the

exploration into the photographic nude.

beholder and whilst I don’t consider my nude works in anyway sexual, others have.

I have long been aware of my delight in seeing what is normally kept hidden, both the physical and

Next, a person working in this eld must accept

emotional. This goes a long way to my enjoyment of

accusations of producing fodder for, what Mulvey

working with the human form (and the people who

termed, the male gaze. The gaze is typically described

inhabit it) within my practice. I am interested in what it

as presenting woman as naked and passive, and men

means to be alive because I am very aware that I, and

as dressed and active, the consequence of this being

you, and all those now living, will one-day die. The

to objectify women for what is presumed to be a male

body in particular, starts decaying almost immediately:

viewer. I hope that by working with men, women and those who call themselves non-binary, in exactly the

same way, I can be found not guilty of this charge.

Lastly, I may be questioned about the power

All that remains is for me to thank you for parting with

relationships inherent in being an elderly man

your hard earned cash to purchase this copy and by

photographing many younger women, however I use

doing so support me in my endeavours to live my best

the same methodology regardless of who I work with.

life, making my photographs in the hope that others

As I work with whomever responds to my call outs, (I

can appreciate them and I can raise enough cash from

never use an agency) I have to accept the

each project to fund the next.

demographics of those presenting themselves to me. I collaborate rather than instruct my sitters and they are

Since 1996 I have had a couple of “hissy- ts” with

always welcome to have a chaperone accompany

photography, giving away my books and selling all my

them.

kit cheaply, only to be driven to start all over again a few years later!PLAYTIME represents a renewed

When viewing my work I hope you nd yourself

commitment to getting my work to the public on an

thinking about your own body, your relationship to it

annual basis. I want to use the photo-book to do this

and the fact that it will not last forever!

because within its pages the viewer can have a more intimate relationship with my work.

Having spent so many years focussing on the surface of the body I am toying with the idea of getting deeper

The main in uence for this renewed vigour, (as well as

in future projects, allowing myself to be in uenced by

my encroaching 60th birthday) is the MA I am

performance art of the sort made in the 1970’s:

undertaking with Falmouth University and the work of the Japanese photographer Araki who seems to want

If the tradition of the female nude emphasises the

to photograph everything that comes towards him

exterior of the body and the completion of its surfaces,

before he dies. Indeed, Araki has created a

then women’s body art reveals the interior, the

photographic novel, the kind of autobiographical tale

terrifying secret that is hidden within the idealised

that is known in Japanese as the watashi-shosetsu or

exterior. *4

the shi-shosetsu, literally the ‘novel of the I,’ and it is my deepest hope that PLAYTIME can grow into

But we’ll leave that journey for another day.

something similar, both a dairy but also a love letter to life from this ageing photographer.

Look out for number 2 which will be available in 2023.

Jojo. 2022.

Figs. 4/ 5/ 6

Fig. 1 Jojo (2000) from PLYMOUTH UNVEILED High Wycombe DB PUBLISHING Fig. 2 Jojo (2000) from PLYMOUTH UNVEILED High Wycombe DB PUBLISHING Fig. 3 Jojo (2000) from PLYMOUTH UNVEILED High Wycombe DB PUBLISHING. Fig. 4 Jojo (2017) from PLYMOUTH UNVEILED NAKED TRUTH Plymouth Self-Published Fig. 5 Jojo (2017) from PLYMOUTH UNVEILED NAKED TRUTH Plymouth Self-Published Fig. 6 Jojo (2017) from PLYMOUTH UNVEILED NAKED TRUTH Plymouth Self-Published

*1. Hammer Mar n (2007): 109. THE NAKED PORTRAIT 1900 TO 2007 Edinburgh Na onal galleries of Scotland *2. Hammer Mar n (2007): 012. THE NAKED PORTRAIT 1900 TO 2007 Edinburgh Na onal galleries of Scotland *3. Museet Moderna (2017): 20. FRANCESCA WOODMAN: ON BEING AN ANGEL Koenig Books *4 Nead Lynda (1992): 66. THE FEMALE NUDE: ART, OBSCENITY AND SEXUALITY London, Routledge

References

List of gures

Photographs: copyright Jojo 2022 Design: ………………………………? Printed by SHORT RUN PRESS, Exeter Self Published by Jojo and NEW STREET PRODUCTIONS in Plymouth

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrial system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the copyright holder.

SELF-PORTRAIT 1998 TO 2021

Other books by JOJO

PLYMOUTH UNVEILED

2000

MONO/STEREO

2003

REMEMBERING ROBERT

2010

PLYMOUTH UNVEILED/NAKED TRUTH 2017

ISBN 0-9538803-0-3

( rst edition) 2022 (second edition) ISBN 9781841022628 ISBN 9781908678164

For more information or to talk to Jojo: www.lovejojo.org