Launch Recite Me assistive technology
A black and white photograph of a person bent over, facing away from the camera. They wear high heels and hold up a polka-dot fabric that blends into a matching polka-dot background.

Humorously choreographed nudes in Ave Pildas’ photography

—
Date
7 October 2015

Ohio-born photographer Ave Pildas’ 70s images of nudes, un-airbrushed in strange and often funny positions are proof of what is missing in contemporary depictions of the body. Ave’s black and white photographs play with pattern and framing, with the figure very much part of broader compositions, often of repeated dots and textures. They are unabashedly full-frontal and the women posing project sass, humour and the sense that they are very much in control.

There’s butts and legs covered in and surrounded by polka dots, women holding strung frames as both a sort of concealment and a potential musical instrument, and more traditional posing amongst cascading fabrics. The series is currently on show at Qlick Editions, Amsterdam and will be touring at Art in The Hague and the Affordable Art Fair Hamburg.

A black and white photograph of a person seen from behind, their back bare and one arm raised to their head. They stand against a dark, textured wall divided by a grid of thin white lines. A draped cloth in light and dark tones runs across the bottom of the frame.
Above

Ave Pildas: Teapot

A nude person arches their back over the top of a wooden table. They are positioned against a wall covered in repeating rows of “Examiner-Herald” newspapers.
Above

Ave Pildas: Herald Examiner

A person stands against a mottled, textured wall in a black and white portrait. They have black tape covering their mouth and their nipples.
Above

Ave Pildas: Silent

A black and white photograph of a person holding a wooden frame in front of their torso. Horizontal strings stretch across the frame, creating a ribbed pattern over the figure's body.
Above

Ave Pildas: Fingernails

Share Article

Further Info

About the Author

Billie Muraben

—

Billie studied illustration at Camberwell College of Art before completing an MA in Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art. She joined It’s Nice That as a Freelance Editorial Assistant back in January 2015 and continues to work with us on a freelance basis.

It's Nice That Newsletters

Fancy a bit of It's Nice That in your inbox? Sign up to our newsletters and we'll keep you in the loop with everything good going on in the creative world.