Words by Marissa Cox.
Fashion photographer Mari Sarai set Fashion Week off to a roaring start Thursday night, with the private view of her new NAKED exhibition at Blackall Studios on Leonard Street. We walked in on a Indian summer’s evening and were instantly hit not only with the heat radiating from the bodies that packed out the gallery – all here to see the show - but also by Mari’s powerful black and white photographs of nude women that adorned the clean white walls of the gallery. Stark naked, except for perhaps a pair of heels, sexy net tights or draped white bed sheets, the women appeared to writhed around on beds and pavements, sat on chairs in somewhat arresting poses with their hands tied, or stared seductively into the camera lens. Despite their obvious nakedness and a vulnerability that you’d think might go hand in hand with having little to nothing on, Mari reveals strong, confident and sensual women, who seem more than comfortable in their own skin. The results are sexy, erotic and captivating to look at – images that we think wouldn’t look out of place in an exhibition alongside images created by masters of provocative photography Guy Bourdin and Nobuyoshi Araki.
Featuring close friends, musicians and models Daisy Lowe, Alice Dellal and Janice Dickinson, Mari captures their bodies in all their glory, and her book - the culmination of these striking images - is an ode to the female form and a celebration of the naked female body. Mari demonstrates that you don’t need clothes on to gain respect from others or to reveal a colourful personality, as well as why we should all get some naked ambition. We say: don’t be afraid to be seen starkers!
To visit Mari Sarai’s website [click here]
NAKED is on until 20th of September at Blackall Studios and you can see a more intimate take on Mari Sarai’s NAKED project at Doors Showcase: 20 Rivington Street, London, EC2A 3DU until 13th October.
‘NAKED’ is available to buy at Photographers Gallery London, Claire de Rouen, Magma, 3939 Shop and Collette, Paris. To purchase ‘NAKED’ [click here]
