Some people are genuinely surprised that we are able to model so intimately together as a Collective..The notion that male and female models can be so tactile and physical without any sexual connotation seems quite alien to most.
As a Collective we are driven by our desire to achieve an artistic aesthetic, and that is foremost in our thoughts when we are constructing a composition. The professionalism of our Collective is borne out of years of modeling both as individual models, and with others. We are close friends, much like brothers and sisters, supporting each other in day to day life in the outside world, and within a life class situation where we are naked and posing together in evocative scenarios.
The perception of people from outside the life drawing circuit that nudity is somehow equated to sex is quite misguided and naive, and one of our goals as The Collective is to help people understand that this is not the case, and that as models, artists, and intellectually evolved beings nudity for us is a natural state of being, an everyday situation, and a means with which to realise our artistic aspirations. The nude figure has been depicted throughout the ages as a celebration of the natural human form, and the representation of an ideal of balance, the harmony of mind and body. The Ancient Greeks celebrated this philosophy, and we admire their nude sculptures in museums all around the world, and yet, most western societies still have puritanical Victorian ideas about an unclothed or nude person.
These repressed ideas have led to the formulation of unhealthy views towards nudity, and supplanted them with sexualised, titillating concepts, with the intent that we should be ashamed, embarrassed, or guilty about our own bodies. These negative concepts are evident in social networks such as Facebook, who operate strict censorship of the nude human form, even if depicted in an artistic fashion, but yet allow images of women that are sexually provocative and borderline pornographic, with the intent solely focused on titillation. There is also a discriminatory policy towards females, whereby to show a female nipple is seen as offensive, and can lead to a ban from the site, and yet a male nipple or bare chest is accepted. Images and videos of extreme gratuitous violence are also acceptable on such social networks, and yet to see a human being in a natural state of undress is deemed offensive.
We have to remember that these negative attitudes did not exist in ancient polytheistic cultures, and even today there are aboriginal cultures who still live in unclothed tribal communities,..What we have termed as 'exhibitionism' simply did not, and does not exist within these societies. The accusation of exhibitionism/voyeurism often arises within the art and life modelling world, with male models especially targeted as being exhibitionists, which has led to many art groups and schools practising a tacit 'no male models' policy. While we do not condone this exhibitionist behaviour by male or female models, it is important to remember that life drawing should be a representation of all life, and this unfair, naive blanket generalisation that all male models are guilty of this behaviour due to the actions of a few, be recognised as discriminatory.
In light of the recent case of Tony Pianco, who has been organising life drawing events around London for many years, and was well known by experienced models for his sexual harassment of females, everyone in the life drawing community should unite to cast out these manipulative sexual predators, as they create a climate of fear, and abuse the trust of both models and artists alike. We are glad to see Tony Pianco is now under police investigation, and we applaud the bravery of the female models who spoke out about his sexually predatory and abusive behaviour. We would encourage all models to speak out and share information about abusive tutors, artists, models or students, as it was the silent acceptance of models that it was 'just one of those things' that allowed Pianco to get away with his abuse for so many years. We as a Collective feel the life drawing scene has been unregulated for far too long, and guidelines about general health and safety, model rates, and etiquette have been overlooked and neglected, with no union or governing body to oversee and enforce changes. We would urge all models to stand together, and not to allow the devaluation of what is after all a highly skilled physical and mental discipline..Only with the solidarity of all models, and support of the genuine art facilitators can we make these necessary changes for a better, safer future for us all..Viva Le Modele Vivante..
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