The New York artist Spencer Tunick is looking for volunteers who want to participate in his upcoming art installation, titled ‘Retrato Alhambra 1925’, which involves posing nude to celebrate the first 100 years of the Alhambra beer brand and will take place on September 20th.
«Working with nudity in public spaces is like an explosion of life that confronts conservative societies,» the artist stated in an interview with Europa Press, where he also acknowledged that his work is not easy.
The installation, named ‘Retrato Alhambra 1925’, as part of the Centenary of Cervezas Alhambra, requires volunteers to register on the website www.retratoalhambra1925.com to participate. It is the first time the artist is working in Andalusia, and he will be covering the bodies with green body paint, a color that Tunick associates with «renewal, rebirth, and healing«.
Tunick has been working on this concept since 2010, searching for the perfect tone that «matches the color of the Alhambra walls«. The artist has chosen an olive grove on the outskirts of Granada as the location for the installation, an idea that arose during a van trip from Madrid to Granada, where he was surprised by the blackout that left Spain without light or communications on April 28th.
«I was exploring locations in Granada for the installation, and while driving, I saw beautiful mountains full of olive trees, all lined up like a band of music. It was like a band or a line of people waiting to enter a sports event, or even like a Piet Mondrian painting. It was so surreal that the olive trees reminded me of people,» he recounted.
This is not the first time the artist has worked in Spain; he has also created art in Valencia, San Sebastián, and Barcelona. Valencia, he mentioned, was the «most difficult» city to gather participants in.
The New York artist explained that he does not hire professionals because «it’s an exchange.» «I would need to be Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk to pay all those professional models. That’s why I love working with non-professionals,» he said with a laugh, thanking Alhambra beers for their support in carrying out this project. «The organization is giving me a gift with their support,» he emphasized.
«Professional models tend to pose too much and do all these weird positions that I’m not used to, and I like very simple positions,» he added.
Tunick understands that people may be «shy» when it comes to posing for this type of initiative, but he believes that being covered in green body paint can make them feel more liberated and overcome their fear, mentioning a police chief who participated in one of his actions.
«I try to encourage and lift people’s spirits to the point where they want to move in a certain direction, creating a lot of camaraderie among the participants,» he affirmed.
Furthermore, he is confident that his work will continue to pique the interest of those who come to discover «this new art.» «I would like hundreds of people to come. More than 400 or 500 people,» he emphasized, noting that he never runs out of ideas, despite organizing over 75 installations since 1994.
Nonetheless, he acknowledged that a project of this magnitude can only be done once a year, at most, as it is a lot of work. His largest installation involved 18,000 people in Mexico City.
«When everyone is initially naked, there is a bit of nervousness, but then, the few attendees who are clothed feel like the odd ones out. The one wearing clothes becomes a ‘reverse nudist.’ So, people are truly there to be part of the artistic process, not to see naked people or gain anything beyond art. I think people want to be part of the process, not just observe art in a museum or gallery, but be the medium, participate in creation, collaborate,» he concluded.