Who was Greg Friedler?

Greg Friedler (1970 – 2015) was a young visual artist who received his Master’s of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York. ‘He was a curious observer and acute documentarian of the human condition. He was fueled by a sincere desire to fully see, understand, empathize with, analyze, and sum up…. his fellow human beings. He was fascinated by identity, existence, and how people fit into a given society. His portraits attempted to unmask his subjects of their veneer and capture the rawness of their humanity on the page.’ (Friedler Website) He published 6 photography books and his art work was shown in galleries and venues around the world, particularly across the United States and in Europe.

What exactly is this ‘Naked’ series?

Over a period of 12 years Friedler published 4 books in the series: Naked New York (1995), Naked Los Angeles (1998), Naked London (2000) and Naked Las Vegas (2007).Each book is a series of diptychs in which average persons are first shown clothed and then nude, identified only by age and profession. Friedler wanted to get to know the people, the trends, the energy. It is what he called a ‘survey of culture’. Unlike traditional nude photography, these images are not erotic or sexual; they simply try to portray real people.

His work as a documentary photographer was an investigation into humanity, a survey and study of people. If clothing is a voluntary choice, unclothed we see people in an involuntary state―we see their bodies as we see their faces, unmasked. Ultimately, all subjects are equally vulnerable in revealing their unclothed, private selves. In presenting them to us in this most elemental human state, Friedler emphasized the traits we share rather than our incongruities. The books are an intimate look at a cross-section of society, people we see and interact with everyday; people we relate to and resemble.
Two documentaries were made about Friedler at work: Vegas and London.

Why ‘Naked Rotterdam’?

I chose the city of Rotterdam because it is a real metropolis and because of the characteristic nature of true Rotterdammers. I believe they are open, hard working and no-nonsense people. They are proud and don’t like to fuss about things but just want to get on with it. I like that.

Why do you want to do Naked Rotterdam?

I am amazed at how intriguing this relatively straightforward concept is. I have noticed that, unlike with other art books on nude photography, it has a certain appeal that makes me pick up the books again and again. Maybe it is my curiosity of wanting to find out what people look like without any clothes? Maybe it is the thought that you wonder whether a wealthy businessman would look different in the nude than someone on welfare? Or is it just the comfort it gives me to see that not all people have perfectly shaped bodies?

However, the most important reason for me to do this project is to contribute to Greg Friedler’s legacy. He made some cool artwork and I think his photography is great. Unfortunately I never met him but from what I read about him and from viewing the documentaries about him and his work, I know he must have been a very special, kind hearted and gifted young man. I would like to make more people aware of his work and in particular of his ‘Naked’ books. I decided to make a fifth version in the series as a tribute to Greg.

Since coming up the idea I have been able to contact Greg’s father and brother. They are very enthusiastic about my plans and I have their full support. This means a great deal to me and I am determined to make this project succeed. Secretly I am hoping that photographers in other major cities will want to continue the concept and that ‘Naked’ cities will appear across the globe! How cool would that be!

 

This is the TV commercial for Naked Rotterdam, made by IDTV.

This is the promotional video used for crowdfunding.

Below is an impression of the presentation of the book to Jerry Friedler.

This is one of the vlogs I made for the Aardig Onderweg Award.