Lindsey Mott - Weekly Artist Post

Ryan McGinley

In "Animals", Ryan McGinley photographs nude models with live animals, in a studio. His decision to photograph in the studio is a very important decision, since it limits the variables that are out of his control. Working with live animals is also difficult, because you can't guarantee that they will stand still or even cooperate in any way. His need to control light was also probably an important factor in his decision to shoot in a studio setting, since he probably used a shutter speed quicker than 1/60 of a second.

Above all else, "Animals" is about taboo. Yes, we can enjoy a photography of a beautiful animal, or a beautiful nude human. But once you put the two together, something becomes inherently wrong. By shooting against minimal backdrops, he emphasizes the unnaturalness of the whole situation. The photographs vary in degrees of sexual innuendo. Okay, the one with the model cuddling the baby mule isn't so bad, even kind of cute, but what about the model with the chicken head between her legs? Or the marmoset holding on to the model's penis? It gets weird quick, and I think that's the point. There's something inherently sexual about certain parts of a person's body, and something completely desexualized and innocent about animals.

For me, there's definitely a push and pull to these photographs. On one hand, "Animals" uses nudity in a way that's completely intentional. These photographs would not be effective if the models were clothed. On the other hand, I can't escape the feeling that these animals are being exploited in some way. The non-human ones. I understand that this kind of sounds ridiculous.