Why Aussies are so eager to disrobe for Spencer Tunick’s mass nude artworks

This world-renowned photographer can’t stop coming back to Oz – because we’re so keen to disrobe for him, en masse. WARNING: Nudity

American photographer Spencer Tunick is practically an honorary Australian citizen at this point, given how many of his notable works have been shot on our shores.

The New York-born artist, famed for organising large-scale nude shoots often involving thousands of volunteers at a time, has taken photos in Australia everywhere from the steps of the Sydney Opera House to Bondi Beach to the top of a Woolies car park in Prahran.

Next month, he’ll be back again, this time shutting down Brisbane’s iconic Story Bridge at sunrise for a work that will require thousands of volunteers willing to strip off. It’ll be his third visit to our shores in five years.

Speaking to news.com.au ahead of his latest trip down under, Tunick said he’d noticed Australia kept drawing him back of late.

“Right now, it seems like Australia is the main country that’s interested in my work. Previously, it was Mexico, then it was England, then it was Switzerland, but now it’s Australia,” he said.

Tunick directs the masses outside Sydney Opera House in 2010.

What a shot.

“I think it’s the people: Australians enjoy the variations in weather, the challenge of getting up early in the morning and getting through a brisk sunrise. I think Australia is up for a little bit more of an adventure than other countries.”

Including, it seems, our closest neighbours: Tunick named New Zealand as one country that had previously expressed interest in hosting him but had “never seemed to quite take that leap of faith.”

“Hopefully one day in New Zealand, something could happen. But as for Australia, I think there’s a real deep appreciation for art and for personal freedom. And my work is also about equality and being included and elevating all different types of people.”

Tunick has a team on hand at all his shoots to help wrangle the masses effectively – among them are his wife of 22 years Kristin, who he says acts as something of an advocate for his subjects while he focuses on his photographers.

Getting the perfect shot in Bondi, 2022. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Kristin will be the one to hurry him along, to flag that weather conditions are worsening or that crowd patience is wearing thin. But he also says that usually, those who’ve disrobed are in no hurry for him to wrap the shoot.

“They want to be in a series of photographs; they want to be part of something that’s just not, ‘Oh, here I am naked, and that’s it.’ They want make different artworks in different setups and positions, and so I think people get really into it.

“Plus, the experience is quite unique and feels great and very uplifting and healing for some.”

Tunick is particularly excited about his Story Bridge installation, pointing out how rare it is for an artist to be allowed to shut down such a major traffic hub.

Tunick says wife Kristin acts as an advocate for his participants while he gets to work.

An image from Tunick's TIDE series, from his last Brisbane visit.

While he acknowledges there are some challenges to shooting in cityscapes he doesn’t encounter in more natural settings (“usually I ask the cities to clean the streets”), he says those brave enough to participate should expect something very special indeed.

“I think what’s great about it is not only do people get to see the bridge from a new perspective, but they’re stark naked against it – sort of like they’re in a belly of a whale,” he says.

“Raise your hand if you currently have sand in places it’s never been before.” Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

“One of the positions will be to lie on your side on the bridge. I mean, it’s one thing to stand on a bridge, but then to lie on your side and see this colour field of bodies with tans and browns and pinks and yellows is quite an amazing sight … it’s quite surreal.”

As well as RISING TIDE, set to take place on Sunday October 27, Tunick will also display his debut Australian projected video exhibition from his TIDE series, which was created during his first visit to Brisbane last year.

Showing at Brisbane Powerhouse from September 28 to November 10, the TIDE Exhibition will be the first time Tunick’s work from his Brisbane visit will be on show to the public.

You can register to take part in Spencer Tunick’s RISING TIDE artwork here.

What’s it really like to be in a Spencer Tunick artwork?

Saluting the sun in Bondi, November 2022. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

I was one of the 2500-odd Sydneysiders who fronted up to Bondi Beach in the early hours of the morning in November 2022 to participate in Tunick’s latest installation.

The very early start time meant around a 3:30am wake-up and a slightly nervous cab ride to Bondi Beach, where my partner and I found hundreds of other soon-to-be nude models, all huddled quietly (and clothed) in the sand like penguins.

There was a long wait until finally, the earliest pre-dawn light broke over the horizon – and suddenly, we were on.

Tunick and his team corralled us and as one, several thousand people rose to their feet, quickly disrobed, threw our clothes into bags and wandered south down the beach, ready to strike a pose.

A few curious locals (and a couple of dodgy-looking lone blokes with cameras – who knows what website we might’ve ended up on) looked on as we followed Tunick’s instructions for the next 45 minutes or so.

Was it sexual? Not at all. Serene? Absolutely – and even a bit spiritual, standing at the water’s edge among thousands of strangers as the first warm rays of the day’s sun hit our bodies.

Participants at another 2019 Tunick artwork, this time at the Whitsundays in 2019.

One tip: If you’re going to be a part of a Spencer Tunick artwork, especially one involving water, positioning is important.

The braver few that you can see in the photos above waded knee-deep into the ocean for one shot: Fun for a minute or two, less pleasant as the waves picked up and they were stuck standing still with cold water bashing them in the privates while they waited for Tunick to get his perfect shot.

By the time the shoot was done – by this time, with a lot more locals on the sidelines having a gander – many of the throng were reluctant to put their clothes back on, running into the surf for a quick skinny dip and sunning themselves on the sand.

To the Spencer-curious, wondering whether they have the nerve to strip off on Brisbane’s Story Bridge next month, I say: Go for it.

Just don’t forget where you put your bag of clothes.

Originally published as Why Aussies are so eager to disrobe for Spencer Tunick’s mass nude artworks