Quarantine Chronicles: The Quarantine Nude
Having others see you – as you want and need to be seen – verifies one’s sense of self. We are constantly distilling ourselves into bite-size iterations of our identity through a multitude of channels, be it virtual profiles, anecdotal stories that we feel are representative of our personality, or through self-portraiture.
During periods of extreme isolation, where comically, even, it can feel as if you’re disappearing from the social fabric of your world like Marty McFly’s parents dissolving from a photograph – feeling recognized can be all the more important. It seems as if everyone is validating their existence in their own unique way: e.g., posting on social media, connecting with old friends, documenting this time with selfies, blog posts, and other artistic creations. Kirra Cheers newest project, Seclude in the Nude, responds to this overwhelming desire to feel seen. She tells me that she hopes her work will “serve as a time capsule to remember this moment in history.” However, I believe she does more than just serve as a documentarian.
Born in Australia and residing in New York City, Kirra Cheers (b. 1987) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores themes of connection and sexuality within an urban dating culture. This pandemic and resulting shelter-in-place mandate in New York City has presented Kirra with a unique opportunity to capture intimate moments during this unprecedented period of isolation. Kirra uses the nude as a mode of story-telling and to communicate immediate vulnerability and transparency between artist, subject, and audience.
“The images capture a need for people to feel seen and connected to one another despite and because of the necessity for social distancing,” Kirra writes in her artist statement. More than just connecting with New York City locals who want to strip down and bear all for the camera – she is gaining access into the private spheres of the New-York-City-Dweller, hermitting due to the recent COVID restrictions. As she’s shooting their portraits through windows – tripod assembled and cell-phone in hand – she’s asking them questions about their quarantine experience, checking-in, and fulfilling a secondary need of being heard. The dissolution of the barrier between her and her subjects is evident in her photographs.
At first glance, these voyeuristic, lush images are so visually stimulating – the neon hues may distract from the substance and affection of these photographs. As you examine the environment of each New Yorker’s habitat – the window grates, the brick facade of the building, the frayed curtain which hangs with the same desperation as its subject – you are transported into the closeted world of each quarantiner. You get to know their home by a nightside reading lamp, a yellow cup on the window sill, and are allowed entry into their abodes – where they, perhaps like you, are alone and striving to do the best they can during a difficult time.
Kirra Cheers reflects on what this project has done for her as a creative during quarantine. “From a personal perspective, it can be hard to be creative amidst so much uncertainty. The project has given me purpose and structure as the days have a tendency to blur together. Connecting with people in this manner has been a surreal experience.” This is an ongoing project for Kirra and she urges people to reach out to her if they’re a New Yorker looking to drop their knickers and finally be seen.
You can view more of Kirra Cheers work here.