Interview from LifestyleAsia

What exactly is it about nude photography that attracts so much controversy and gets the conservatives clutching their proverbial pearls and having their knickers all twisted up in a bunch?

“Nude images tend to be seen as smutty and pornographic in nature. People often frown at these images. Even til today, the conservative majority still feel that way, which is sad,” offers self-taught Singaporean photographer Marcus Mok, who first dabbled in male nude photography in 2002 after realising the lack of artistically-handled male nude photography in publications. He was however, undeterred, and began carving out a niche in the area of Asian male nude photography.

But it was never Marcus’ intent to shock or be controversial. In Marcus’ works, full front nudity is not a common thread; rather the shots are mostly faceless as he feels that this, along with not showing genitalia heightens the sensual aspect and aesthetic form of the Asian male body.

Today, 10 years down the road, perhaps a sign of a maturing art scene and a slowly-but-surely liberating school of thought in Singapore, Marcus has published Liberate, his first book of sensuous male photographs, which is a collection of Marcus’ favourite works from the last decade of his photography, and his works has since been snapped up by the Singapore Art Museum and the Kinsey Institute in USA.

Marcus is hopeful for more. “I believe that Singapore will be propelled into the forefront of art in the next 10 years. Hopefully by then, nude photography as a form of art will be as common as having chicken rice at the hawkers!”

It was 2001 when you first started out in male nude photography, and even in just a decade, Singapore has actually become much more liberal than it was a decade ago. Did you face a lot of difficulties when you first started out ten years ago? Do you think think these mindsets have changed, if any at all, in these ten years and how?

10 years ago, I shot my first male nude photograph in Hawaii. It was way too daunting doing it in Singapore as people were wary of having their pictures taken in the buff. There was no comparison to make with what was acceptable and what was not. And there certainly was a dearth of avenues available to showcase nude photography here in public.

As the arts scene in Singapore becomes more vibrant, both in the visual and performing arts, people’s mindsets have changed somewhat, but we still have to be careful what images to show and where these images appear.

Sometimes there is a very fine line between artistic nude photography and something that borders on tasteless. Where exactly is that line?

I for one feel that nude photography when tastefully done crosses into the art realm. It does not matter if frontal nudity is involved but how it was conceived and captured. Anything that comes across as pornographic at first glance tends to get negative feedback.

However, if that image is able to convey a message-which really is what art is all about, then it has successfully crossed over from smut to art. Having said that, people’s perceptions always differ because what is considered art is subjective. Unless we all see nude images with an open mind and a sense of curiosity about the artist’s self expression, then we tend to condemn those images.

There is indeed no lack of female nude photography. Why do you think the area of male nude photography has been mostly neglected?

I think most photographers steer clear of male nude photography for the following reasons:

1) a perceived lack of commercial or artistic value for such images

2) the inability to get male models to pose for them

3) they are uncomfortable shooting a male nude

4) they feel such images are taboo

5) they know there is a bigger market for female nudes

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