Reclining Nude Known
Sculptural Installation / Photographic Work
Georgia, United States

Reclining Nude Known looks at how the nude has been shaped and understood over time, using tension, restraint, and recontextualization to shift that history. Instead of presenting the body as something passive to be viewed, the work pushes back, reclaiming a sense of control and authorship.

At its center is a photograph of the artist’s body, posed to mirror Female Nude, Reclining, in Profile from Études d'après nature by Julien Vallou de Villeneuve. Rather than simply referencing the original, the artist rebuilds it through their own body, changing the terms of how the image is made and what it carries.

The photograph is held in place by hand-fabricated steel clamps and set within two hand-bound window panels sourced from a queer household. A steel cylinder runs vertically through the piece, adding weight and pressure. Together, these elements create a sense of containment, shaping how the body is seen and experienced.

Through this structure, Reclining Nude Known places the nude within a space of control, where visibility, authorship, and material force all come into play. The body is no longer passive or simply looked at, but becomes active, resisting the traditions that have long framed it as something to consume.

Photography by Getsay.