Spencer Tunick, a New-York born artist who specializes in large-scale nude photo shoots, is no stranger to criticism. His pieces, which have included photographing more than 18,000 unclothed participants in the principal square of Mexico City, have been called everything from "courageous" and "liberating" to "degrading" and "on the same level as a wacky advertising campaign.” His latest creation, which consists of 100 nude women posing in Cleveland the day before the Republican National Convention, has been subject to particularly harsh scrutiny. Is Mr. Tunick's most recent work of "flesh architecture,” as he calls it, a meaningful pro-woman proclamation? Or is it nothing more than a publicity stunt using the female body for shock factor?
This past Sunday, July 17th, 100 women gathered in downtown Cleveland to participate in the event. By around 7 a.m., they had removed all of their clothing and were being handed large mirrored disks to hold during the photoshoot. In the final result, a piece entitled "Everything She Says Means Everything,” the women were photographed while standing stoically and facing the camera as they held the mirrors over their heads. The outcome is certainly very unusual and visually stimulating, but what is the meaning behind this strange composition? Does the work have a meaning, or is it just a whimsical spectacle?
In fact, one of the main reasons Mr. Tunick's work is largely disregarded by art critics is because his pieces, while sensational, are generally agreed upon by academics to be shallow and devoid of any true emotion or deeper thought. A typical Tunick photograph consists of a few hundred nude men and women, usually standing or crouching, in a large open area. For the most part, these photographs are interesting but lack a story, political message, or the ability to elicit an emotional response from the viewer. However, there is something that sets apart the Cleveland piece, "Everything She Says Means Everything" from the usual Tunick production.
It is no secret that the Republican candidate for President, Donald Trump, is not someone who is known to respect women or people of color. His recently announced running mate, Mike Pence, has signed and sponsored several of the strictest anti-abortion and anti-immigrant laws in contemporary American history. By placing these women, holding giant mirrors, in the city where the Republican National Convention was to be held the next day, Tunick creates a symbol of a reflection of the widespread resentment towards the hateful rhetoric of the modern Republican Party regarding women and racial and religious minorities.
Over 1,800 women applied for a chance to be able to take part in this piece, which only had 100 available spots. While selecting the women who would be in the photo, Tunick was sure to have as diverse a cast of women as possible. Elderly women, women of color, trans women, and Republican and Democrat women alike were all included, symbolizing how oppressive discourse could not silence the emotions of those most affected by political hate speech, and how women in Trump's own party could not stand for the sexist statements made by himself and other party leaders. The photographs, many of which had the Cleveland skyline in the background, showed the stark contrast between the women's bodies and the gray, industrial city behind them, symbolizing that the female body is something of nature, and not something to be regulated or objectified.
"I cannot think of a better way to protest the RNC, while also expressing my feminine power and devotion to our earth," said a participant in a statement on Tunick's website. "Everything She Says Means Everything" is a strong, surprising, and much-needed public statement against anti-women and anti-minority language that is so common in today's Republican Party.
