| The Adventure series was inspired from a commission to shoot nudes. Never having approached the subject matter prior to the assignment, I knew only that I would want to photograph my subjects in natural landscapes as opposed to the comfortable confines of the indoors. However, simply photographing a person nude in the great outdoors was not meaningful enough for me. I wanted the choice of the physical place where I photographed to be incredibly symbolic. Growing up in the sprawled metropolis of Los Angeles I had always found myself longing to explore, attracted to places totally unknown to others. My upbringing in Los Angeles also sensitized me to issues about the correlating relationship between our bodies and our self-image. |
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Olivia Malone
Olivia Malone, Cart Wheels, 2007. Courtesy of the artist.
The Adventure series was inspired from a commission to shoot nudes. Never having approached the subject matter prior to the assignment, I knew only that I would want to photograph my subjects in natural landscapes as opposed to the comfortable confines of the indoors. However, simply photographing a person nude in the great outdoors was not meaningful enough for me. I wanted the choice of the physical place where I photographed to be incredibly symbolic. Growing up in the sprawled metropolis of Los Angeles I had always found myself longing to explore, attracted to places totally unknown to others. My upbringing in Los Angeles also sensitized me to issues about the correlating relationship between our bodies and our self-image. Beginning with my thesis, I photographed young women in the ladies’ bathrooms of Hollywood nightclubs, seeking to explore the boundaries of my subjects, their relationship to their environment, and their level of comfort in their own skin—a quality I’ve always equated with the process of maturity. Since then, I have sought to capture both the freedom and discomfort that one might feel when vulnerable. It seemed a natural progression to see how these two experiences would play out when a subject was nude. My conclusion was to throw a backyard party where everyone frolicked and took their clothes off. The location was typically symbolic—the suburban childhood home of one of my subjects. By shooting at night and using added light I intended to add an element of fantasy and emotion. For me the photographs are the ultimate expression of what it feels like to be simultaneously free and vulnerable, on display and carefree.
