An artist wants to take a photo of hundreds of naked people somewhere in New York City to protest social media censorship.
No, not the censorship of ideas or political beliefs. Not that kind. In this case, artist Spencer Tunick wants to target censorship of the “female nipple,” among other uber-progressive things, in a live exhibit he's calling "#WeTheNipple."
“I hope to make a new nude photographic artwork on the streets of New York City that challenges the censorship rules of Instagram and Facebook. A work that humanizes and decriminalizes the female nipple on social media and at the same time advocates freedom for male, female and transgender artists to share their art without consequence," Tunick explained in a description of the upcoming piece.
The protest/art piece takes aim at Facebook and Instagram for not freely allowing photos of nudity, including female breasts, to be posted on their platforms, a guideline Tunick thinks it's discriminatory.
Photographing large crowds of naked people isn’t new for Tunick – over the years, the “artist” has already done more than 75 live nude “art” installations worldwide. In fact, one of his exhibits in Mexico City drew an estimated 18,000 people. According to NBC, his Facebook page was suspended in 2014 after Tunick posted a photo of naked women in Portugal without the appropriate pixilation.
Tunick plans to make his latest al natural statement on June 2, though he hasn’t specified exactly when or where.