11 Images that Redefine Nude Art and the Human Form with AdeY
Multidisciplinary artist AdeY explores how we consume art and experience nudity while deconstructing societal norms.
As with all of Gayety's artist spotlights, we aim to introduce you to creatives carving out a niche by challenging our ideas of what art can be.
AdeY is another one of those individuals — a visual artist whose work seamlessly bridges the realms of photography and performance.
Born in Britain and based in Sweden, AdeY's unique vision is deeply influenced by his performance, choreography, and contemporary dance background. His photographic works study and capture the raw human body through its balance and strength.
AdeY creates to challenge societal norms and provoke audiences to question their perceptions of the human body, gender, identity, and how we experience nudity in art.
AdeY's Artistic Journey
AdeY's work is driven by a desire to create non-sexualized and open-minded representations of humanity.
His choreographic endeavors are deeply personal, focusing on the stories that shape individuals and their journeys. Politically motivated by cultural and social events, AdeY's work explores how society defines us and how we, in turn, shape our environment.
His images highlight vulnerabilities, loneliness, and strengths, capturing moments of social oppression, isolation, anxiety, and depression that are central to the human experience.
Exploring Balance and Movement
With a background in contemporary dance, AdeY brings a unique perspective to his photographic work. His images often depict the human body in dynamic poses, underscoring our need for balance.
AdeY's approach emphasizes the bare body's physical capabilities and questions traditional notions of beauty and strength.
Cultural and Social Impact
AdeY's photographs address contemporary societal issues and provide commentary on "normative" behaviors.
His work has faced significant censorship on social media platforms, highlighting the ongoing struggle for artistic freedom in the digital age. Despite these challenges, AdeY's open letter to Instagram in 2017 gained international recognition, drawing attention to the restrictive nature of social media censorship.
For more of AdeY's work, check them out on Instagram at @adey and @boysfineart.
All AdeY's artworks are available from BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! at www.boysboysboys.org.
More from AdeY
We had the opportunity to talk with AdeY and discuss their creative process, the inspirations behind his work, and the challenges faced as an artist navigating the digital landscape.
Gayety: Many artists capture the male form; what unique perspective or experience do you feel you bring to this medium?
AdeY: My work is not gender-specific, and I'm focused on capturing the human body in a non-sexualized way. I think my background as a dance artist and working professionally with my body for a number of years gives me a unique insight into how I want the viewer to see the human body.
What inspires a new series of photos?
Normally I need some kind of emotional attachment to a subject for the idea to make its way out of my head and into something that I create. For instance, the series that you are featuring was born out of my frustrations with how the body is portrayed through commercial photography to sell products. Nudity equals sex in the mainstream, and I wanted to see if nude photography in a non-sexualized context was possible.
Do you have any idea what your next series might be?
I hope so, as I'm working on it right now. Hehe. My new series at present is humorously titled AdeY 2.0 (it's how a good friend described it after seeing a few preview images) because it is, in some ways, an evolution of what I have been creating previously but with a definite change in aesthetic and tone. I'm searching for my love of movement and trying to capture those beautiful in-between moments.
With so much photography discovered online through social platforms, do you ever find it challenging to translate the deeper meaning behind your art into short-form posts?
My work was discovered through social media and I loved the short form back when I started. In 2015 I started sharing my images on Instagram, constantly drip-feeding my images after each new shoot. As my project grew, so did my followers, and soon came online features, magazines, group exhibitions, and solo exhibitions. Social media has changed a lot since then, however, and I think it's extremely difficult for photographic artists to stand out on platforms like Instagram because of how the apps have changed to focus on TikTok-style content.
While social media is an excellent way for many artists to showcase their work, it can also be incredibly difficult for artists who capture the human form due to censorship. How do you feel about how strictly photography is censored online?
Well, that's the next issue that artists face with social media and the archaic censorship rules they impose. It was difficult when I started sharing my work in 2015, but now it's virtually impossible to share nude work on most apps. I've been fighting against these rules for almost a decade now and even made exhibitions, a photo book, and a public letter to Instagram to try and highlight the issue to the wider public.
What do you think is the balance between artistic nude photography and pornography? Does that distinction matter?
I don't think of my images as being in the genre of nude photography when I'm creating them. I know that might sound strange, but I'm focused on the concept and body of work I'm creating, which so happens to be about the human body. So for me, yes, the distinction between porn and artistic form matters, and I think, In many instances, is easily distinguishable.
What have you learned about yourself through your artistic expression?
Somehow, that's a hard question to answer… through my art, I'm trying to express how I view the world and what thoughts I have trapped inside my head. I guess I've learned that creating art is like therapy, and the only way I can truly express myself is through the photographs and performances I create.
Who or what inspires your work?
The people I collaborate with are the biggest inspirations for my work. I love how they interpret my ideas, seeing how it translates into different bodies, and what new comes out through improvisation tasks.
When you reflect on your work, is there a specific image or setting you are particularly proud of?
An image that came to mind is my work Sensitive Surface. It's an image that shows my emotional side and the hope that fills my heart.
What do you hope people feel or take away from your work?
I hope they have the opportunity to look at the human form in a new or different way, seeing the humor, innocence, and strength the characters portray in my photographs.
AdeY's work is a testament to the power of photography and performance in challenging societal norms and redefining perceptions of the human body. Through his lens, we are invited to explore the intricate connections between body and space, and to question the constructs that shape our understanding of identity and beauty.