Greg Friedler’s Bare Assets

Nothing makes us sit up and take notice like nakedness. But Denver-based fine-art photographer Greg Friedler had something more sublime than titillation in mind with his ambitious, experimental Stripped series. Since 2007, Friedler has hauled his cameras, his commitment and his unique vision around the globe to create indelible images...

By Jason Heller

March 11, 2010

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Nothing makes us sit up and take notice like nakedness. But Denver-based fine-art photographer Greg Friedler had something more sublime than titillation in mind with his ambitious, experimental Stripped series. Since 2007, Friedler has hauled his cameras, his commitment and his unique vision around the globe to create indelible images of people from all walks of life — all of them in the nude. Stark and eerily compelling, these photos have filled three books, each focused on a certain city; his fourth and final installment, Stripped: Greg Friedler's Naked Las Vegas, comes out this month, and its creation has been chronicled in a feature-length documentary of the same title that probes the humanity and poignancy of the project, both in front of and behind the lens.

"These photographs serve a purpose," says Friedler. "It's about seeing society a certain way. When they're not wearing clothing, you get the fuller sense of a person. It's a very non-sexual thing. It's about looking at a person without all those judgments and preconceptions we put on them. How do they really look?" Stripped screens tonight at 7 p.m. at Starz FilmCenter, in the Tivoli building on the Auraria campus, as part of the Denver Film Society's DocNight series. Friedler and documentary director David Palmer will appear to present and discuss the film. Seats are $15, $12 for DFS members. For tickets and info, call 303-595-3456 or visit www.denverfilm.org.
Thu., March 11, 7 p.m., 2010

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.