Naked forms - A cultural challenge

Abstract

The starting point of the article is the Festival of Naked Forms which is organized by Lenka Klodova in Prague (and occasionally in other cities). The curator gave the festival a monothematic character. It concerns nudity in performance art, i.e. in a live form. The festival has been held every year since 2016. At that time, the festival presented a huge variety of performance forms, artistic means and media hybrids. The festival's documentation is the basis for research into the nude form in live art. In interpretative methodology, the naked form has been associated with forms of presenting libido and the 'principle of pleasure', as well as the visual aspect of a work of art and the role of 'gaze' in the very specific performance art work. The point of reference is both surreal art and the contemporary relationship of art to pornography. In conclusion, the subversive, challenging or political power of naked forms and their ability to make changes in culture is indicated.