Erik Kessels, Read Naked, 2019

This book highlights the entertaining idea of being completely naked while poring over a book. These pictures spark some peculiar curiosities. Who are these men and women and why were these photos made? Perhaps more importantly, what are they reading and are they enjoying themselves? While assembling this collection of ‘found’ images, a thought arose: isn’t reading in the nude a wonderful thing. A notion seemingly from a bygone era, when we would happily spend whole days in bed not worrying about whether we were wasting time. A period when we had much less shame of our bodies, when being naked did not necessarily mean being exposed.